Ohio Democrats lose two transgender Pride Caucus members who say the party won’t let them speak

This story first appeared on The Buckeye Flame.

Two trans Ohioans resigned this week from the Pride Caucus Steering Committee of the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) within 24 hours of each other, both citing frustrations with the way they say the caucus is censored by the ODP.

The Pride Caucus is one of 10 caucuses of the ODP.

Ciara Keeton resigned first on October 4. She told The Buckeye Flame that she was voted onto the steering committee on September 28, eight days before she resigned.

Keeton said she submitted her name to be considered for the 20-person steering committee to “see more trans people in the room.”

“I honestly wanted to work with the caucus to support the LGBTQ+ community in whatever way I could,” Keeton said.

On Sept. 23, ODP removed two social media posts pushing back against Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s anti-trans ads, garnering allegations of censorship.

Keeton joined the Pride Caucus amidst the backlash.

Screenshot of a Pride Caucus steering committee group textThe Buckeye Flame

On September 28 – the same day that Keeton was voted onto the steering committee – two Ohio trans elected officials released a statement supporting gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and encouraging others to do the same despite an anti-transgender statement Acton made on July 28.

Keeton posted to the social media site Bluesky that the Pride Caucus was specifically told by ODP leadership they could not share the statement supporting Acton because ODP chair Kathleen Clyde decided “trying to unify LGBTQ+ support for Acton in the final 35 days would be an unwelcome distraction.”

Although she had only served for eight days, Keeton said that the ODP rationale broke her.

“All of the censorship and refusal became too overwhelming and led me to believe there was no point in remaining and that even if I had remained, I would have been able to accomplish nothing of value,” Keeton said.

Pride Caucus vice-chair resigns the next day

Less than 24 hours after Keeton’s resignation, Ari Childrey also resigned from the Pride Caucus.

Childrey, who is also transgender, was voted onto the steering committee in 2024 and was elected vice-chair in 2025.

In an October 5 post on social media, Childrey called the Pride Caucus “simply a recruitment and sales team” for ODP.

“The job, in their eyes, is not to represent the LGBTQ+ community to the party, but to sell Democratic candidates to the LGBTQ+ community, regardless of the harm those candidates may cause,” wrote Childrey.

Childrey said she had been aware of the dynamic for months, but chose to remain in the caucus in the hopes things would change.

“Unfortunately, I was wrong,” Childrey said.

Childrey also cited the ODP’s refusal to post the statement authored by the two trans elected officials supporting Acton. She also specifically called out the statement attributed to Clyde about the distraction that could result from trying to unify the LGBTQ+ community.

“[This] demonstrates how little value party leadership places on the votes, voices and inherent dignity of LGBTQ+ Democrats,” Childrey said.

Childrey said that these are “incredibly dangerous times for the trans community,” particularly given the anti-trans rhetoric being used in this election cycle by both Republicans and Democrats. She encouraged Ohioans to use their voices to prevent the anti-trans tactics from continuing into the 2028 election season.

“We have to speak up – loudly, strongly and unapologetically – or I fear what our 2028 choices may look like,” Childrey said.

The Ohio Democratic Party leadership did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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.