Affirming Families First Act Targets Local Control in Gender Identity

A proposed Ohio bill, House Bill 693 – the “Affirming Families First Act”, would significantly change state and local policies affecting LGBTQ+ youth, including overriding local protections and limiting how schools, agencies, and service providers address gender identity. Spanning 55 pages, the legislation touches parental rights, child welfare, education policy, and local government authority. Sponsors say the bill is intended to prevent government entities from promoting or affirming transgender and nonbinary identities.

A major provision would effectively reinstate conversion therapy in areas where it is currently banned by redefining the practice so that certain counseling aimed at discouraging transgender identity would not qualify as prohibited conversion therapy. Several Ohio jurisdictions — including Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cuyahoga County — currently maintain such bans. The bill would also restrict collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data by some public entities.

The legislation further addresses custody and child welfare, barring courts and agencies from penalizing parents who do not affirm a child’s gender identity and preventing foster or adoptive placement decisions based on caregivers’ views on transgender issues. In schools, it would limit requirements around use of students’ preferred pronouns and protect staff from discipline related to pronoun usage. The bill also establishes enforcement mechanisms, including potential state funding penalties for noncompliant local governments, and builds on prior laws restricting gender-affirming care and athletics participation for transgender minors.

The Ohio Council will continue to track this legislation as it works its way through the legislative process to assess potential impact on behavioral health practice and will keep Ohio Council members informed of any developments.