Ohio
Is Ohio law banning gender-affirming care constitutional? Trial began Monday

Ohio’s transgender youth could get some clarity on their healthcare after this week.
The trial on the constitutionality of an Ohio law banning gender-affirming care began Monday. The trial is expected to last five days.
House Bill 68 was set to take effect in April after House and Senate Republicans voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. The law would prevent doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that puberty blockers for children who identify as transgender “generally leads to improved psychological functioning in adolescence and young adulthood,” but noted puberty blockers are not without risks.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed a lawsuit on behalf of two transgender girls and their families claiming the law violates the Ohio Constitution which gives residents the right to choose their health care.
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook temporarily blocked the law in April, agreeing with the plaintiffs that “puberty does not arrive by appointment.”
Lawyers outline disagreement over treatment for gender dysphoria
Freda Levenson, a lawyer with the ACLU of Ohio, said she plans to call five witnesses: two parents of two transgender children and three experts, including Dr. Jack Turban, a child psychiatrist who researches gender dysphoria and mental health among transgender youth.
“These witnesses will demonstrate that puberty blockers and former therapy are safe and effective medical treatment for gender dysphoria in adolescents,” Levenson said.
Amanda Narog with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office argued that what the judge will hear will be the same information the Ohio Legislature considered before passing the bill.
She said the state plans to call seven witnesses. including Dr. James Cantor, a neuroscientist who researches human sexuality and pedophilia, and a parent whose child originally said they were transgender before changing their mind and deciding not to transition.
Narog said the state’s witnesses will testify that gender dysphoria is a mental health diagnosis best addressed “by mental health interventions that pose no risk of physical harm to patients.”
Mother’s voice breaks as she recounts House Bill 68 discussion with her daughter
The first witness was Gina Goe who spoke about her 12-year-old transgender daughter Grace. Both Gina and Grace Goe are pseudonyms meant to protect Grace from harassment.
She said Grace’s sex assigned at birth was male but she behaved differently from her three brothers early on.
Goe said Grace expressed an interest in wearing dresses as a toddler and around kindergarten, she started to cry and ask God to make her a girl. The family’s pediatrician referred Grace to the THRIVE program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital which specializes in sexual and gender development.
Grace was diagnosed with gender dysphoria around the second half of her kindergarten year. Gender dysphoria refers to the distress a person feels when their gender identity does not match their assigned sex. Grace started using a female name around 2018, before starting first grade, Goe said.
Goe said Grace now lives as a girl and does not want people to know she’s transgender.
Goe’s voice broke when she described discussing HB 68 with her daughter
“I remember we were sitting on my bed together and I shared with her on an appropriate level what’s happening and she laid down and wept in my bed and I held her and since then, she has told me that she just carried this looming worry and anxiety and just this deep sadness surrounding it all,” Goe said.
Haley BeMiller contributed reporting.
Erin Glynn is a reporter for the UA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Ohio
Why are flags in Ohio flying at half-staff? American flag lowered most of May. Here’s why

Why do U.S. and state flags fly at half-staff?
Learn more about why the U.S. and state flags fly at half-staff.
On Tuesday, May 27, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered flags be flown at half-staff to honor slain Morrow County Sheriff’s Office deputy Daniel Sherrer.
Flags will remain lowered until sunset on the day of Sherrer’s funeral, which had not been announced as of May 27. The deputy, 31, died in a Memorial Day shooting while responding to what officials are calling a “domestic violence situation.”
If it seems like flags in Ohio have been flying at half-staff a lot lately, well — they have been. Through 27 days of May, flags have been lowered for at least 20 of them. And that number will grow with DeWine’s latest order.
Here are all the times DeWine has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in May.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine orders flags to fly at half-staff six times in May
DeWine has ordered flags lowered six times so far in May 2025:
- Honoring Daniel Sherrer: DeWine ordered flags lowered from May 27 through the dates of his funeral.
- Recognizing Memorial Day: DeWine ordered flags to fly at half-staff from 12:01 a.m. through Noon on May 26.
- Honoring Symeon Williams: DeWine ordered flags lowered from May 17 through the May 29 funeral of Symeon Willams, a Cleveland fire cadet who died during training.
- Recognizing Peace Officer Memorial Day and Police Week: DeWine ordered flags to fly at half-staff on May 15.
- Honoring Larry Henderson: DeWine ordered flags lowered from May 4 to the May 9 funeral of Larry Henderson, the Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy killed while directing traffic on May 2.
- Recognizing the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service: DeWine ordered flags to fly at half-staff on May 4 for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.
Why are flags flown at half-staff?
The American flag flies at half-staff when the country or a state is in mourning, according to USA.gov. Flags can be ordered to fly at half-staff by the president, a state governor or the mayor of the District of Columbia. In most cases, flying the flag at half-staff marks a significant death, such as a government official or military member; a national tragedy or a national day of remembrance, such as Patriot Day or Memorial Day.
What is the difference between half-staff and half-mast?
Half-staff refers to flags on land. Flags are flown at half-mast on nautical vessels, such as a naval ship. But the purpose is the same for both.
Ohio
Education advocates want voters to decide on DEI ban in Ohio colleges, universities

CINCINNATI — Education advocates were out in the Cincinnati streets Monday trying to push back against Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), which would ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in state colleges and universities.
“It is a way to erode public higher education in Ohio. So the bill is designed to eliminate programs and services that are based on identity groups,” said Kate Durso, the southwest regional captain advocating against SB 1.
SB 1, or the “Ohio Higher Education Act,” was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 28. The law goes into effect on June 27.
Facebook: Ohio Senate Republicans
The law bans DEI from trainings, orientations, offices, positions or new institutional scholarships at state colleges or universities. Other policies in the Ohio Higher Education Act include a required American civics literacy course, prohibiting full-time university faculty from striking and automatically eliminating any university degree program that awards fewer than five degrees per year on a three-year rolling average.
SB 1’s text states that the law is meant to support “intellectual diversity” at state colleges and universities.
In February, WCPO 9 reported on SB 1 after the state’s Senate passed the legislation. One Republican senator explained why supporters are cracking down on DEI on college campuses.
“Rather than fostering equality, DEI enforces racial divisions, prioritizes group identity over individual merit and creates (the) very discrimination it claims to be fighting,” said state Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-District 19).
Watch to learn more about how advocates are challenging SB 1 and what it means for Ohio’s higher education landscape:
Volunteers look for support to fight Ohio’s ban on DEI at state colleges
An excerpt from SB 1 describes how teachers are expected to enable free thought and discussion under this legislation:
“Affirm and declare that faculty and staff shall allow and encourage students to reach their own conclusions about all controversial beliefs or policies and shall not seek to indoctrinate any social, political, or religious point of view;”
Senate Bill 1
I met with Kate Durso and her team of volunteers, who disagree with the lawmakers behind SB 1.

WCPO 9 News
“I would say that this bill, in fact, does not promote more inclusive conversation. It actually creates boundaries and barriers against civil discourse,” Durso said.
A member of Durso’s volunteer team told me that SB 1 is pushing her away from her home state.
“Yeah, I graduated from UC, University of Cincinnati, in 2023, and I’m pursuing law school now. And this bill, SB 1, was one of the reasons that I’m not staying in my hometown of Cincinnati for law school; it just scares me too much,” Erin Tedtman said.

WCPO 9 News
Now, she is one of the local advocates in an initiative to move the law to a ballot issue this fall.
Advocates sent a referendum petition to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office in April. That process required 1,000 signatures. Once the AG’s office approved the first part of the referendum, the volunteers’ efforts expanded. The volunteers have to collect 250,000 signatures across at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties, as Durso explained. Their deadline is June 25.
“We need to hit a certain percentage within each of those counties based on the 2022 gubernatorial election,” Durso said.
The volunteer captain said that her team and others across Ohio are trying for as many signatures as possible, because some may be marked invalid, which could occur even with a slight mistake.
“If someone accidentally writes their first and last name in the same box instead of following the directions on the form or includes the wrong address,” Durso said.
As a lifelong educator, Durso told me this is her way of advocating for students and staff she works with.
Ohio
Unlicensed 15-year-old driver hits police cruiser in Ohio

An unlicensed teen hit a police cruiser while driving their parent’s truck in Ohio.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The Whitehall Police Department said an officer was helping someone locked out of their car on April 28 when the cruiser got hit by a 15-year-old driving the truck, according to a social media post.
TRENDING STORIES:
Advertisement
Advertisement
The department said the teen did not have a license, and that’s not all.
“Even more troubling: their parent allowed them to drive anyway,” the department said on Facebook. “Needless to say, charges were filed.”
They said this could have been much worse.
“Allowing an unlicensed, underage driver on the road puts everyone at risk—other drivers, pedestrians, and the teen themselves,” the department stated.
Whitehall Police said that parents who allow this behavior will be held accountable.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
-
World1 week ago
Severe storms kill at least 21 across US Midwest and South
-
News1 week ago
Watch: Chaos as Mexican Navy ship collides with Brooklyn Bridge, sailors seen dangling – Times of India
-
News1 week ago
Maps: 3.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern California
-
Politics1 week ago
Texas AG Ken Paxton sued over new rule to rein in 'rogue' DAs by allowing him access to their case records
-
Politics1 week ago
Afghan Christian pastor pleads with Trump, warns of Taliban revenge after admin revokes refugee protections
-
World1 week ago
Portuguese PM’s party set to win general election, fall short of majority
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump, alongside first lady, to sign bill criminalizing revenge porn and AI deepfakes
-
News1 week ago
Video: One Person Dead in Explosion Outside Palm Springs Fertility Clinic