Ohio Democrats want LGBTQ+ votes. Their anti-trans messaging is testing that support

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur are facing backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates who say their campaign messaging comes at transgender people’s expense.

The criticism centers on Kaptur’s recent campaign ads and Acton’s comments opposing transgender girls’ participation in girls’ sports. Both have faced scrutiny from LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Ohio, which gave Kaptur a D and lowered Acton’s grade from an A to a B.

The longest-serving woman in congressional history, Kaptur is being criticized by LGBTQ+ advocates for an ad touting her vote for the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, also known as H.R. 2616.

Related: Ohio Democratic Party is censoring criticism of anti-trans ads: insiders

“I voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools because parents know what’s best for their kids, and boys should not play in girls’ sports,” Kaptur says in the ad.

As reported by The Advocate, the bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Trans” by LGBTQ+ advocates, would require schools to out transgender students in certain circumstances and threaten federal funding for schools that “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology.” Kaptur and seven other Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill in the House in May. It would also need Senate approval and the president’s signature to become law.

According to The Buckeye Flame, Kaptur has a second ad touting her record of breaking ranks with Democrats, including saying “no to teaching gender ideology in schools.”

The ads have also fueled a dispute within the Ohio Democratic Party. Party insiders accused its leadership of removing posts from the party’s Pride Caucus social media accounts that criticized Kaptur’s anti-trans messaging.

Equality Ohio gave Kaptur a D, saying that “transgender Ohioans should not be used as political talking points,” while her opponent, former Republican state legislator Derek Merrin, whom Kaptur narrowly defeated in 2024, received an F.

“Ohioans are worried about rising costs, making rent, having food on their table, seeking medical care, and that’s where real leadership should be focused. Real leadership means refusing this culture war bait, not reaching for it,” Equality Ohio said in a statement.

Acton initially received an A on Equality Ohio’s scorecard. The organization placed her grade under review after she made anti-trans comments following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding state bans on transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s school sports. It subsequently assigned her a B.

“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 told The Toledo Blade. “As a doctor, public servant, and a mom, I will always stand up for fairness and protect kids’ health and safety.”

A B indicates an “insufficient record but supportive public statements,” Equality Ohio says on its website.

Related: 'Transgender biological men': Sherrod Brown’s Ohio ad signals the danger of Dems hesitating on trans rights

“The Acton campaign has updated their website to include LGBTQ anti-discrimination to their campaign platform. We have confirmed the campaign has met with LGBTQ leaders and parents of transgender children,” the organization said. “We have not been able to confirm meaningful engagement directly with transgender communities.”

Equality Ohio also said members of Acton’s campaign had engaged with the organization, but a requested meeting with Acton herself had not taken place. Acton is running against Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who received an F from Equality Ohio.

Meanwhile, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat in 2024 and is running for Senate, is pushing back on anti-trans ads attacking him in his race against Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

“Here they go again. Those same attacks against Sherrod Brown. With everything going on, that’s what they’re talking about. In Ohio, it’s against the law to perform transgender surgeries on kids. That’s right. It’s illegal,” one of Brown’s ads says in response to an ad claiming Brown “supports sex change surgery for kids, permanent surgical decisions with devastating consequences.”

Them also reports that a Republican super PAC’s ad misleadingly links a Texas woman’s transition to Brown and policies affecting Ohio children, even though she was an adult when she transitioned and did not live in Ohio.

Equality Ohio has given Brown an A and Husted an F.

“For years it was gay marriage, and that was the boogeyman that everybody was trying to use,” Equality Toledo executive director Brent Rabie told the Ohio Capital Journal. “Now, they’ve targeted trans people and used them, and are doing false campaign ads. … Anytime people use any community for political points or to be a political punching bag, I think it’s dangerous.”