Are LGBTQ+ Rights Losing Ground?

An erosion of LGBTQ+ rights could be the latest casualty of America’s deepening political and cultural polarization. With a laundry list of anti-LGBTQ+ bills piling up in the Ohio statehouse and some employers dropping corporate DEI initiatives, are efforts to safeguard and grow LGBTQ+ rights losing ground in Ohio? Polling research announced earlier this year by nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute also disturbingly showed US public support for LGBTQ+ protections falling for first time since 2015, illustrating the dangers of taking newly won freedoms for granted. With a panel of experts, we take stock of the state and trajectory of LGBTQ+ rights in Ohio and look at what the post-election environment may hold in store for LGBTQ+ Ohioans and their families.

Featuring Ken Schneck, Editor, The Buckeye Flame; Karen Hewitt, Co-Founder and COO, The Ohio REST Collective, and Founder and CEO, K Hewitt Consulting; Nickie J. Antonio, Ohio State Senate Democratic Leader (D-Lakewood); Cam Ogden, Policy Manager, Equality Ohio, with moderator Ronald Murray, Associate Director of Health Advocacy, Equitas Health, and Community Engagement Liaison, Stonewall Columbus, and additional panelist to be announced.