Meet Ares Paige.
He’s a community activist, an outreach recruiter and a transgender man.
“I started with social transition probably when I was about 23. That’s when I took on my male pronouns and started living as a male,” Paige said.
Paige told News 5 he experienced an easy transitional journey, which he says he has his family to thank.
“I was lucky enough to have a mother that I could go and talk to, but a lot of parents don’t understand,” said Paige.
That’s why he’s fearful now that gender-affirming care, such as some mental health services and hormone blockers, will soon be banned from transgender youth in Ohio.
“With that ban, I worry that those kids aren’t going to get the help that they need, and a lot of them are going to end up killing themselves, to be honest. It scares me,” said Paige.
Governor Mike DeWine vetoed the original bill, saying he felt care and treatment for trans youth should be a family and medical decision.
However, the Ohio Senate overrode the governor’s veto with 24 yays and eight nays.