'No politician will shame her into silence.' Ohio Mom says trans daughter, others demonized

As the mother of a transgender child, I am writing today with a deep sense of outrage.

State Reps. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, and Mike Loychik, R-Cortland, introduced House Bill 616, Ohio’s version of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation Republicans have been aggressively pushing to pass in statehouses across the nation.

House Bill 616 goes further than prior proposals in other states, including the so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last month.

House Bill 616: Ohio Republicans introduce House Bill 616, their version of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law

If it becomes law, the Schmidt-Loychik proposal would expand censorship of any classroom discussions for K-12 students that touch on sexual orientation, gender identity, the history of racial discrimination in our country and the work that’s been done to move toward full equality for all Americans.

This issue is deeply personal to me.

Almost two decades ago, I became pregnant with what my doctor told me were identical twin boys. However, from as early as 18 months, one of my twins began gravitating toward all things feminine.

At 3½, she began telling my husband and me she was a girl, despite our telling her repeatedly she was a boy.

As parents, it wasn’t easy to navigate this situation. Our daughter’s distress mounted as we constantly told her she was a boy, and we finally sought medical advice when she was just 4½ years old.

Our daughter socially transitioned right before starting kindergarten. She’s a high school junior now. We’ve moved a few times over the years but everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve found our daughter’s schools to be good partners in ensuring that she felt welcomed and accepted for who she is.

We’re extraordinarily grateful for all the work her teachers and principals have done to make sure she’s valued and respected no matter where she goes.

Our view: Ohio's LGBTQ kids would be forced in closet with lawmaker's 'Don't Say Gay' copy

No matter our political party, we should all want schools to be safe for kids.

That’s why every transgender child should have the same experience my daughter had.

That won’t happen, however, if the Schmidt-Loychik proposal becomes law.

This bill does not solve any problems. It won’t make life any easier for Ohioans working harder than ever before just to make ends meet. The only thing it will achieve is to make transgender kids like my daughter feel ostracized and discriminated against at school— the place they should be able to learn and grow in a safe, nurturing environment.

Schmidt and Loychik would probably tell you kids can’t handle discussions about these topics.

Let me be clear: That is laughable and untrue.

I know because my husband and I saw this firsthand. Our daughter told her classmates she was transgender in first grade. She wanted them to know her authentic truth. As parents, we often worried how her peers would receive her authentic truth.

More: Our view: Let Ohio teachers teach truth. Educators, kids casualties of raging culture war​​​​​​​

The fact is, her school community welcomed her with open arms. Her teachers loved and supported her. So did her fellow classmates. They were often her most vocal advocates.

If she hadn’t been allowed to be herself, she wouldn’t have been able to focus on learning and growing as a person in school.

I shudder to think about how her life would be different today if she had been forced to pretend to be anything other than her true self.

There’s nothing wrong with LGBTQ+ kids. As a parent, it’s deeply disturbing that politicians like Reps. Schmidt and Loychik are trying to claim otherwise. Growing up is hard enough. The fact that some politicians are choosing to use their public office to demonize children is despicable.

Their bill sends a clear message that they believe LGBTQ+ kids should be ashamed of who they are.

Not a 'two-sides issue': Transgender people exist. Why is there a debate over whether they should have rights?

My daughter is confident enough today that no politician will shame her into silence. However, the same is not true for other kids still struggling with their identities

. A recent survey from The Trevor Project found that 85% of transgender and non-binary kids have suffered harm to their mental health due to these efforts to legislate against transgender children.

We can do better. Speaker of the House Bob Cupp still hasn’t said where he stands on this bill. That’s unacceptable.

This is an attack on children, and the speaker needs to make clear today that this bill has no path forward in the Ohio House.

Anything short of doing so is a disservice to LGBTQ+ children and their parents in Columbus and across our great state.

Melissa McLaren is the mother of identical twins . She lives in Lancaster.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Opinion: How does Ohio House Bill 616 impact LGBTQ children, families