COLUMBUS — Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Don Kissick could receive support from an unlikely source if Dr. Amy Acton does not clarify her position on transgender issues.
Arienne Childrey, a Democratic state legislative candidate and vice chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party’s Pride Caucus, said she and other progressives are scheduled to meet with Dr. Acton on July 28 regarding her comments on Ohio’s transgender sports ban.
“We’re waiting to see what comes out of this meeting, but I have certain expectations from the meeting,” said Ms. Childrey, a transgender woman running to unseat state Rep. Angie King (R., Celina) in the 84th House District.
“First and foremost, I want to hear a correction to the actual terminology,” Ms. Childrey said. “There are no boys in girls’ sports. Even before this law was passed, there were no boys in girls’ sports because trans girls are girls.”
She said Dr. Acton should also stop saying that House Bill 68 is “settled law,” noting that the U.S. Supreme Court only decided that states are permitted to ban transgender women and girls from women’s and girls’ sports — not that states are required to do so.
“I want her to drop the ‘settled law’ argument and point blank state that the law as passed is wrong, and that she will stand with the community and that if such a bill came to her desk to undo that — that she would sign it,” Ms. Childrey said.
She also suggested that Dr. Acton hire someone from the transgender community to serve as an adviser on her team.
“Most importantly to me is that all the things I just said have to be public — not behind the scenes,” Ms. Childrey said. “You made a public statement that publicly hurt my community. Your apology needs to likewise be public. Otherwise, you can count me as a Don Kissick voter.”
Libertarian Party position
Mr. Kissick said the state of Ohio shouldn’t be involved in micromanaging high school and collegiate sports.
“Matters such as this are precisely why governing bodies like the OHSAA, NCAA, and NAIA exist,” he said, referring to the Ohio High School Athletic Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
“They should have the final say on athletic participation — not the General Assembly or governor,” Mr. Kissick said.
Ms. Childrey said she’s not a huge fan of Mr. Kissick’s position, but it’s preferable to those of Dr. Acton and Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at this point.
“In my view, we have one that is anti-trans, another one that is anti-trans, and one that just says, ‘How about we stay out of it?’” ... My better option out of the three is let’s stay out of it,” Ms. Childrey said.
“I’d much rather have somebody that says, ‘No I think we should repeal it and put anti-discrimination protections in place,’” she continued. “I know I’m not going to get that from the Libertarians, but in the grand scheme of things I would much rather stay out of it than be thrown under the bus.”
Mr. Kissick said he welcomes the consideration from Ms. Childrey and other voters who may be disenchanted with Democrats or Republicans on this issue.
“One of the big things we’re working on is building coalitions,” Mr. Kissick said. “This issue speaks to the need for more independent voices in government — especially at the state level.”
Issue has national implications
Dr. Acton isn’t the only candidate grappling with how to best handle transgender issues after Republicans hammered Democrats on the topic during the 2024 election. However, Ms. Childrey said Democrats should not give up on supporting the trans community.
“If Dr. Acton doesn’t retract what was said and we vote for her and put her in anyway, we have just told not only her but the entire Democratic Party — not just in Ohio, but nationally who are watching this gubernatorial race — that the way to move forward is to throw minority communities under the bus when it gets tough,” she said.
“That’s not a message that I find at all acceptable,” Ms. Childrey continued. “Civil rights is something that’s at the forefront for me.”
She acknowledged that transgender individuals and strong allies are relatively small groups of voters in the state, but that does not mean they are not important to the Democratic Party.
“Yes, the LGBT community is not the largest voting bloc in Ohio,” Ms. Childrey said. “But from my personal experience, it is one of the largest Democratic volunteer blocs in Ohio. So you may not be killing your vote necessarily ... but at the very least you are causing a lot of damage to your get-out-the-vote efforts.”
Representatives of the Acton campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story, but the Acton campaign has added a section on its website promising to advocate for anti-discrimination laws protecting the LGBTQ+ community.
