Shannon Gallagher and her family saw the writing on the wall as bills targeting transgender youth were being introduced in the Ohio Statehouse last year.
Their youngest child Alex, now 17, is transgender non-binary and their family no longer felt welcome in Ohio, so they moved to New York City last fall.
“It was not an easy decision,” Gallagher said. “… We decided we needed to create an environment and move somewhere where all of our family members felt wanted and appreciated for who they are.”
The Gallaghers made the decision to move in June 2023 — months after state Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, introduced his gender-affirming care ban bill (House Bill 68) and shortly after state Reps. Beth Lear, R-Galena, and Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, introduced a transgender bathroom ban bill (House Bill 183).
“Is this where we’re gonna call home?” Gallagher recalls thinking when she lived in Ohio. “This place obviously does not want our family here and is trying their hardest to get rid of us. That’s very much how we felt. So it’s like, why are we contributing to the economy here?”