A day after the Ohio Senate voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill blocking gender-affirming care for transgender youth and transgender participation in women’s sports, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik slammed the move as “bullying” and “really harmful.”
The Republican-dominated state Senate voted to override the veto by a 24-8 margin, clearing the three-fifths margin necessary to do so. The Republican-majority House voted to override the veto two weeks ago. The new law, which will likely be enacted within 90 days, bans gender-affirming surgeries, hormone therapies, and mental healthcare for transgender youth and blocks trans girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports teams at the K-12 and college levels.
“I wanted to state very clearly from my perspective and the perspective of this administration what a negative step that is for the legislature to take,” Malik said at a press conference on Thursday morning.
“Ultimately, we have to make sure that we are protecting young people who are dealing with challenges trying to get the healthcare they need, and I think the way in which the legislature has approached the issue has been, frankly, bullying and is really harmful. And an action that is counterproductive to helping protect and advance the interests of all residents in the state, particularly trans residents of the state.”
Malik vowed to help make Akron a “welcoming community,” cited the city’s non-discrimination ordinance and civil rights commission, and highlighted that the city “has sought to make sure that healthcare for trans employees is something that is protected and covered. We are going to continue that effort.”
The state legislature’s veto override is “ultimately a step back for Ohio, and it’s an example of the legislature going after people, often for political points,” Malik said. “I don’t think that’s helpful, and I’m going to speak out against it.”
Malik also announced that he combined two previous executive orders that were issued in 2016 into a new executive order. One declared the city as an equal opportunity employer and the other is about discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
“The combined order adds more definition around protected classes,” a city press release states, “and includes: age, race, color, creed, religion, pregnancy, parental status, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, familial status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military status or any other legally protected group status. The order also provides examples of what constitutes as harassing conduct.. This brings city policy in alignment with the city’s ordinances.”
