“Richard Cordray's commitment to equality and years of service to the people of Ohio make him the clear choice for voters,” said HRC State Manager Shawn Copeland. “Throughout his career in public service, Cordray has consistently worked to move equality forward, fighting for every person’s right to work and live free from harassment and discrimination. HRC is proud to endorse Richard Cordray’s bid to be the next Governor of the state of Ohio.”

“I have fought for decades to ensure that LGBTQ Ohioans are treated fairly,” said Richard Cordray. “I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and that we need to do more to make sure Ohio is a place where members of the LGBTQ community are proud to live, work, and raise their families openly and free of discrimination. As Governor, I will work to make Ohio an open and inclusive state that embraces the talents of everyone.”

Richard Cordray has a long record working to advance equality at the state and national level, most recently as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he extended the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit financial discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. As the former Attorney General, Solicitor General and State Treasurer for the state of Ohio, Cordray worked to make the Buckeye State safer and protect the rights of every Ohioans. As Ohio Solicitor General, he wrote a brief in Wisconsin v. Mitchell, supporting Wisconsin’s LGBTQ-inclusive hate crime laws and advocated for Ohio to update the state’s hate crime laws to also protect the LGBTQ community. He has also provided pro bono legal services in support of LGBTQ people in landmark pro-equality cases such as Lawrence v. Texas and Colorado v. Romer.

Cordray supports marriage equality and the Ohio Fairness Act, crucial legislation that would bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations in Ohio. He also supports updating Ohio’s outdated birth certificate laws to allow transgender Ohioans to change the gender marker on their birth certificates.

Cordray will be facing Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a long time opponent of equality, in the general election. As Attorney General, DeWine defended the state’s marriage ban, stating that LGBTQ people did not deserve “protected-class status.” DeWine also opposes non-discrimination laws protecting Ohioans on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and protections for LGBTQ youth facing discrimination and bullying at school.

In Ohio, HRC has identified more than 1,550,000 “Equality Voters” -- voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Ohio in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org) and authorized by Cordray/Sutton Committee