Who’s targeting LGBTQ+ rights in Ohio? GLAAD lays out the records

This story first appeared on The Buckeye Flame.

GLAAD, the national LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, has released a series of fact sheets breaking down the LGBTQ+ records of candidates for Ohio governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general and secretary of state.

According to GLAAD officials, the Ohio Accountability Project is intended to provide a fact-based resource on statements and policies that directly impact LGBTQ+ people from candidates with “outsize influence on LGBTQ+ lives.”

“The goal is to hold leaders accountable to expand freedom, safety and prosperity for all,” said Barbara Simon, GLAAD senior director of news.

GLAAD officials said the fact sheets are particularly needed during this “unprecedented deluge of campaign ads that attempt to spread disinformation and fear.” A majority of Ohio voters have said the attack ads are a distraction from the real issues they face.

“Voters are already noting that politicians who attack marginalized people are not working to solve problems affecting every Ohioan,” said Simon.

The key races covered include:

• U.S. Senate (Ohio): Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is facing Sen. Jon Husted (R). For that fact sheet, click here.
• Ohio Governor: Dr. Amy Acton (D) is facing Vivek Ramaswamy (R). For that fact sheet, click here.
• Ohio Secretary of State: Rep. Allison Russo (D) is facing Robert Sprague (R). For that fact sheet, click here.
• Ohio Attorney General: John Kulewicz (D) is facing Keith Faber (R). For that fact sheet, click here.

The Ohio Accountability Project also includes the profiles of three candidates who “have been credibly accused of physical abuse, sexual abuse and misconduct, or have faced years of allegations of witnessing and failing to report sexual abuse in an educational setting.”

Those candidates are U.S. Rep. Max Miller, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and State Rep. Rodney Creech, each of whom also has a record of policy and rhetoric against LGBTQ+ people. For that fact sheet, click here.

The Buckeye Flame is a newsroom dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ Ohioans to support community and civic empowerment through the creation of engaging content that chronicles their triumphs, struggles and lived experiences.