This article first appeared in the Buckeye Flame

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed the state’s two-year budget, vetoing three anti-LGBTQ+ measures and leaving three intact.

Shortly before the midnight deadline on June 30 to approve the budget, DeWine issued 67 line-item vetoes to the 5,500-page document. 

DeWine vetoed an amendment requiring all public libraries to place material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression out of the view of persons under the age 18.

In a document explaining his vetoes, DeWine said the language created “vague restrictions” and that current laws on obscenity and material harmful to juveniles can be used to ensure that “no child should have access to inappropriate materials or to materials that their parents or guardians deem inappropriate.”

“This is a significant win for intellectual freedom and the right of every Ohioan to freely access information at their library,” the Columbus Metropolitan Library said in a statement.

DeWine also vetoed a measure that would withhold state money from youth homeless shelters that “promote or affirm social gender transition,” effectively defunding shelters that support transgender youth.

In his explanation, DeWine pivoted to the Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary definition of “affirm” as “a: to validate, confirm; and b: to state positively.”

“The reality is that a homeless child has been through a horrible experience and likely needs to be met where that child is at emotionally,” DeWine said. “If a shelter has to call a homeless youth a pronoun that is incongruent with that youth’s gender to get that person into a shelter so the child won’t freeze to death, it needs to be done without fear of getting funding clawed back.”

DeWine said that no homeless shelter should “promote” gender transition but that “no Ohio youth should be denied shelter from a facility that receives state funds.”

Finally, DeWine vetoed a measure mandating that state agencies may only fly the official Ohio state flag on the grounds or buildings, effectively banning the display of Pride flags.

He said that the language would prevent the flying of flags of “Ohio’s cities and counties, as well as the flags of the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Space Force.”

“The governor should have the authority to approve additional flags,” DeWine said.

LGBTQ+ advocates praised the vetoes. Dwayne Steward, executive director of Equality Ohio, said that nearly 1,000 people used the organization’s contact form to urge DeWine to veto the anti-LGBTQ+ language.

“Our collective voice is powerful,” Steward said. “This moment is a reminder of what we can accomplish when we fight together.”

DeWine left standing three anti-LGBTQ+ amendments:

• A policy that cribs from President Donald Trump’s executive order “to recognize two sexes, male and female.” According to the budget language, “these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
• Banning the use of Medicaid for mental health services that “promote or affirm gender transition.” 
• Banning menstrual products from the men’s restrooms of public buildings.

Not a single Democrat voted for the budget in either the House or the Senate.

Lawmakers have until December 31, 2026—the end of the current legislative session—to override any of DeWine’s vetoes.

In 2024, both the Ohio House and Senate came back early from their Christmas vacation to override DeWine’s veto of HB 68 banning healthcare for transgender people under the age of 18 and preventing trans females from competing in sports from kindergarten through college. HB 68 currently stands as law in Ohio.

“The fight isn’t over,” Steward said. “The budget is supposed to be a reflection of Ohio’s shared values. This year, extremist lawmakers tried to turn it into a vehicle for cruelty.”

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Dr. Ken Schneck is the editor of The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom. For this work, he was honored with the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for National LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year. He is the author of “Seriously, What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew” and three LGBTQ+ Ohio history books. He is a graduate of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.