Hundreds of people attended Thursday night’s State of the LGBTQ+ Community of Greater Cleveland event, which included a call to action.
Several Ohio legislative proposals were discussed during the two-hour event, including:
- House Bill 68
- House Bill 8
- Senate Bill 104
- Senate Bill 1
HB 68 took effect in April 2024. The law prohibits gender-affirming care for minors.
HB 8 takes effect on April 9, 2025. Schools must notify parents if their child identifies as LGBTQ+.
SB 104 took effect on February 25. It prohibits gender-inclusive restrooms in schools, including higher education.
SB 1 prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the collegiate level. It passed the Senate on February 12 and is now in a House Committee.
“The current bans are clearly intended to make us feel afraid, but we are aware that we have civil rights as human beings.” We’re going to lean into that knowledge. We’re going to lean into our power. Phyllis Harris, Executive Director of the LGBTQ Community Center of Greater Cleveland, stated, “We are going to lean into our resistance and fight for our lives.”
The LGBTQ Community Center of Greater Cleveland hosted the State of the LGBTQ+ Community address on Thursday night.
“I think tonight was a fantastic demonstration of our readiness and organizational skills, and this is only the beginning. “This is getting us ready,” Harris stated.
Harris, along with many other speakers, discussed how they believe laws like these target the LGBTQ+ community, women, and people of color.
“We’re ready to face that ban. We’re ready to communicate with our policymakers. We are prepared to withhold our vote and simply say no, we are not going,” Harris stated.
Others, such as Keith Migra, see the legislation differently. He is a local podcaster and a member of the Lorain County Young Republicans.
“I fully support LGBT issues. However, we believe it has been hijacked by the other alphabetical letters attached to it. We believe it is more detrimental to women’s rights and the LGBT community than anything else,” Migra stated in response to the three LGBTQ+ legislative proposals raised at Thursday’s meeting.
Migra considers those topics to be a “mental health issue.”
“I believe as a community, we need to reach out and ask, ‘What’s the real issue here?’ Is it that trans people believe they have no rights, or do we believe there is a mental health issue that we want to address? But it doesn’t look like that from the right.
It comes across as if we’re damning people, which I don’t think is how we should feel anymore,” Migra said.
He also believes biology should be included in the bills that are currently being considered by the State House.
“If the two sides could just sit down and have an eye to God political conversation about it and a moral conversation about it, I think you would see that we’re not as far off as everybody thinks,” Migra went on:
He said he supports SB 1.
“I am looking for the most qualified candidate. If it is an African American, let us go. If it’s a white person, I understand. But why not put more training into it? Let us not base it on race. “Let us base it on qualifications,” he explained. “I agree with President Trump.
The Constitution declares life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It does not say “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” if you are White. It does not mention life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if you are black.”
On the other hand, Harris stated that she is a DEI hire and believes DEI is a necessity in the United States because it provides more opportunities.
“They understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion are more than just business propositions. It is the way we will live, and it is necessary for survival and thriving. “It’s necessary,” Harris stated. “My message to those who support anti-LGBTQ initiatives and legislation: these are your children. They are talking about your neighbors.
They’re talking about people you care about, people who are afraid to come out, people who will come out, and what are you going to do? Which side of history do you truly want to be on?
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