Equality Ohio changes LGBTQ+ grade for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton from ‘Pending’ to ‘B’

This story originally appeared on The Buckeye Flame.

Ohio LGBTQ+ advocacy and legal aid organization Equality Ohio has again changed its grade of Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton: This time from “Pending” to “B” on its 2026 Candidate Scorecard.

The “F” grade of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Acton’s opponent, remains unchanged on the scorecard, indicating that he has a “poor record and likely to harm LGBTQ+ civil rights.” Libertarian candidate Don Kissick is not rated.

Equality Ohio changed Acton’s grade from “A” to “Pending” on July 28, following anti-transgender comments that Acton made to the Toledo Blade on June 30 regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold state bans on transgender athletes.

“I do not support boys playing in girls sports. This is already settled law in Ohio, and as governor I will enforce and uphold the law,” Acton said. “As a doctor, public servant, and a mom, I will always stand up for fairness and protect kids’ health and safety.”

In changing her grade to pending, Equality Ohio said in a statement, “Should Dr. Acton choose to take meaningful steps forward, we will update the status accordingly.”

The scorecard was changed online on Thursday.

That revision occurred before the Sunday incident at the Canfield Fair, where an armed man forced his way through a crowd toward Acton, knocking down multiple people before members of her Ohio State Highway Patrol security detail stopped him. Acton was unharmed. The man, who authorities said was carrying two pistols, a Taser and brass knuckles but did not brandish them, has pleaded not guilty to charges including assault, disorderly conduct and inducing panic. Authorities were continuing to investigate his intent, the Associated Press reports.

Accompanying the new “B” rating was the explanation: “Following a remark on June 30, 2026, her grade changed from “A” to “B”, reflecting unresolved concerns about support for trans Ohioans.”

There was no mention in the rationale of the “Pending” grade nor of any “meaningful steps” that Acton has taken.

In a statement sent on Friday, Dwayne Steward, executive director and CEO of Equality Ohio, confirmed this absence of “meaningful steps” and that a requested meeting with the candidate has not yet taken place.

“We have not been able to confirm meaningful engagement directly between their campaign and transgender communities,” said Steward. “The ‘B’ now reflects the concern about support of trans Ohioans, alongside her broader record and positions. A ‘B’ means ‘insufficient record but supportive public statements.’”

One Ohio candidate “condemned” the change in grade: Ari Childrey, an out trans candidate for Ohio state representative (84th District), is among the Ohio candidates who received an “A+” rating and the designation of “Champion of Equality.”

“This is a slap in the face to every candidate who actually respects our community – those who haven’t misgendered trans people or backed anti-trans policies,” Childrey told The Buckeye Flame. “If you can misgender trans girls, support discrimination, and still get a ‘B,’ Equality Ohio is telling us transphobia isn’t a big deal, or they’re admitting their scorecard is completely meaningless.”

Childrey compared Equality Ohio’s grade change to when the Human Rights Campaign supported an employment nondiscrimination bill in 2007 that excluded transgender employees. She said she will no longer accept Equality Ohio’s exemplary grade of her own candidacy.

“My ‘A+’ rating means nothing if the scorecard has lost its integrity, which is why I can no longer carry their score,” Childrey said. “I don’t need it. I’ll let my record stand on its own and be judged by the people—especially the trans community—that I fight for every single day. Doing the right thing is about human dignity, not political triangulation or chasing opinion polls.”

The Buckeye Flame has reached out to Dr. Acton’s campaign staff repeatedly for comment, including on September 4 for this article. The only response we have ever received was on June 24: “Dr. Acton doesn’t have room in her schedule for this right now, but I have added you to our press list so you will receive information about all of our open press events across the state –we’d love to see you there. We will keep in touch and circle back with any openings.”

Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to reflect that Dwayne Steward said a requested meeting between Equality Ohio and Amy Acton herself has not taken place. His statement indicated that members of the Acton campaign “engaged with [Equality Ohio].”