LGBTQ Protections Spur Fight Between Ohio AG, Lakewood Politician

LAKEWOOD, OH — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost joined a lawsuit this week to stop federal directives that would expand sex discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community, spurring a biting response from state Sen. Nickie Antonio.

Antonio, a Democrat from Lakewood, was the first member of the LGBTQ community to be elected to the Ohio House. She blamed "regressive, discriminatory practices like this" for driving young Ohioans out of the state.

“I am saddened beyond measure that you have chosen to weaponize the power of your office and the state’s taxpayer dollars against its own citizens,” Antonio said. “It is the Attorney General’s duty as the state’s chief legal officer to protect our children and families, not to attack and malign hardworking Ohioans who happen to be from the LGBTQ community.”

The U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued directives extending anti-discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding certain protections for employees who were gay or transgender.

For his part, Yost claimed he only joined the lawsuit to halt what he saw as federal overreach, claiming the lawsuit is not about the policies being implemented, but the extension and use of power by Washington, D.C. officials. He argues the Supreme Court's ruling does not allow federal agencies to issue directives that might influence how local schools or businesses are run.

“Rule by administrative overreach may seem convenient, but tossing the process our Constitution requires will inevitably trample the liberties of our most vulnerable,” Yost said, despite criticism that this lawsuit might further jeopardize a vulnerable, minority community in Ohio.

“If we truly want our state to flourish in the years to come, we must foster an inclusive environment accepting of the richness of diversity this nation has to offer, not post a sign on our door making it clear that only some are welcome," Antonio said in response to Yost's joining the lawsuit. .

The other states joining the lawsuit include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee.