DeMora Condemns Passage of Forced Outing and Religious Release Bill

Today, state Senator Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) voted against House Bill 8, which threatens LGBTQ+ students and imposes excessive demands on public educators.

“This bill is complete bullshit,” said DeMora. “It forces teachers and school counselors to ‘out’ students to their parents. The scope of this bill is so broad that any minor change in emotion a student discloses would be required to be shared with parents. Teachers and counselors do not have the capacity to do this for every student. It is a disgusting attempt to forcibly out at-risk students under the guise of supporting parents.”

House Bill 8 requires public schools to notify parents about any matters concerning a student’s mental health, emotional well-being, or requests related to gender identity. Critics argue these mandates strain the relationships between teachers and parents and compromise student safety by discouraging open communication between students and educators. The bill imposes an unfunded mandate on schools through complicated reporting requirements and complaint processes.

In addition to forcibly ‘outing’ students, Republicans are also trying to sneak religious teaching into public schools. The bill was amended in committee to include provisions from Senate Bill 293, which requires all Ohio school districts to allow students to leave during the day for religious instruction. 

“The First Amendment of the Constitution outlines the separation of church and state,” said DeMora. “Do we no longer hold our Constitution as the highest law of the land? The radical right frequently accuses Democrats of ‘indoctrinating’ students into being liberal…I do not understand how the majority party fails to see how forcing religion and implementing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into public schools is not conservative indoctrination. The lack of awareness would be comical if it weren’t so astounding and damaging.”

House Bill 8 now awaits a concurrence vote in the House.