As the Ohio Senate took final action to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, 14-year-old Luci Arick was in Columbus protesting.
Arick said she was worried that her peers, others who had been or soon would be seeking gender-affirming care, wouldn’t be able to cope if House Bill 68 became law.
“It was definitely scary with all of the voting going on,” she said. “We didn’t want to leave with a bad outcome.”
The law did pass, and HB 68 will take effect April 23.
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“We’re doing nothing wrong. We’re just existing,” Arick said.
Arick is a client at Transform Cincy, a group that provides a safe space for transgender people and provides resources, like multiple outfits, for trans youth looking to socially transition.
Tristan Vaught is the co-founder and said demand for their services has skyrocketed.
“I think we’re still going to see kids socially transitioning so we’re still going to need clothing, we’re still going to need the space for them to be. Not everyone has access to just move out of the state,” Vaught said.