Saturday, July 9, noon
Ohio Statehouse
In the past year, Ohio’s legislature has produced a litany of legislation whose purpose is to inflict pain upon the state’s minority communities. HB 327 focuses on race, stating any discussion of “divisive concepts”- like the role of white supremacy in American history- would lead to the school district having its funding withheld by the Department of Education.HB 616 prioritizes gender identity and sexual orientation, saying no school can “teach, use, or provide any curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity” for grades kindergarden- 3rd, and if a teacher is discovered doing so in grades 4-12, an individual “may file a complaint against a teacher, school administrator, or school district superintendent”, causing the district to lose funding, and teachers to lose their teaching license.HB 454 would ban gender affirming medical care for trans teens, endangering the very children the law’s sponsors allegedly hope to protect. And HB 151 threatens the trans community once again, banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

All are part of an ongoing effort by the far-right to erase the 21st century, and immiserate the most vulnerable members of our society even further. All are reasons why socialist organizations from across Ohio have formed a collective to demand legislators vote no on these bills, and take action to turn the reactionary tide. The collective will be holding a rally to protest the bills on July 9th.

It will be held at the Ohio statehouse in Columbus, and begin at noon. There will be numerous speakers, with voices from student activism, academia, labor organizing, and politics all lending themselves to the cause. Members of the group include: The University of Cincinnati Young Democratic Socialists of America(UC YDSA), DSA of Metro Cincinnati&Northern Kentucky(DSACincy), Cincinnati Socialists(CinSoc), and the Columbus based Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists(CORS). Anyone who can’t arrive in person should get the word out, telling your friends, family, and coworkers, and sharing our materials on social media with the hashtag #UnchainJustice.

These tasks may sound tedious, but they play a big role in raising awareness, not only to the protest itself, but also how threatening these laws truly are. Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Already the Supreme Court has signaled Obergefell v. Hodges and Lawrence v. Texas are next. Homophobic and transphobic smear campaigns have led to a resurgence of violence against the LGBTQ community. And legislation to re-write history, suppress minority voters, criminalize protest, and marginalize LGBTQ citizens are being written, passed, and enacted in states throughout the land. Everywhere, the creeping spectre of fascism is taking hold, and unless we act now, it will envelop the entire country