Ohio Democratic candidates Amy Acton and Marcy Kaptur make “anti-transgender remarks”, face backlash

Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Dr. Amy Acton and Ohio Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur have faced backlash from comments they have made about transgender people during the lead up to Election Day. 

Acton said she agreed with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling saying its constitutional for states to ban transgender women and girls from playing women’s and girl’s sports.

Kaptur has come under fire for an ad she recently put out touting her vote for H.R. 2616, which would require schools to out transgender students and jeopardizes school funding if schools “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology.”

“I voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools because parents know what’s best for their kids, and boys should not play in girls’ sports,” Kaptur said in her ad. 

Kaptur was one of eight Democratic members of Congress to vote for the bill earlier this year, which is now in the U.S. Senate. 

“Marcy supports parents having more insight into their children’s education,” said Kylie Blitzer, spokesperson for Kaptur’s campaign, on why Kaptur voted for the bill. “That’s why she set the record straight on her vote with Republicans to give parents more say in the classroom.” 

Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, is going up against Republican candidate Derek Merrin. Kaptur defeated former state legislator Merrin in a close race during the 2024 election.

LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Ohio gave Kaptur a “D” and Merrin an “F” on their candidate scorecard. 

“Transgender Ohioans should not be used as political talking points,” Equality Ohio said in a statement. 

“Ohioans are worried about rising costs, making rent, having food on their table, seeking medical care, and that’s where real leadership should be focused. Real leadership means refusing this culture war bait, not reaching for it.” 

Ohio enacted a law in 2024 that bans transgender women and girls from competing in K-12 and college sports after Republican lawmakers overturned Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. Merrin voted in favor of the bill when he was a state representative. 

Ohio governor race

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled over the summer that states like Ohio can continue to ban transgender women and girls from playing women’s and girl’s sports, and both Ohio candidates for governor agreed with the ruling. 

Acton told The Blade she does “not support boys playing in girls sports” and Ohio Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said the ruling was a “win for common sense.” 

In response, Equality Ohio dropped Acton’s “A” to a “B” on their candidate scorecard.

“Equality Ohio has decreased the scores of Amy Acton and Marcy Kaptur in our 2026 Candidate Scorecard following anti-transgender remarks made by their campaigns,” Equality Ohio said in a statement. 

On her campaign website, Acton says all Ohioans deserve to be treated fairly. 

“As governor, I am committed to standing up against discrimination and ensuring that every Ohioan — including members of the LGBT community — receives equal protection under the law,” Acton’s campaign website says. 

In Ohio, 11.2% of people identify as LGBTQ+, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign.

Transgender issues are the latest hot-button topic in politics, said Equality Toledo Executive Director Brent Rabie. 

“For years it was gay marriage, and that was the boogeyman that everybody was trying to use,” Rabie said. “Now, they’ve targeted trans people and used them, and are doing false campaign ads. … Anytime people use any community for political points or to be a political punching bag, I think it’s dangerous.” 

Dara Adkison, Executive Director of TransOhio, said the political ads targeting transgender people are exhausting and infuriating. 

“Trans people aren’t an ideology. We’re not an issue,” Adkison said. “All issues are trans issues because trans people are just people, and Ohioans trying to exist like everyone else. To see ourselves ending up as the targeted minority group for so much of this current election cycle is a lot, to put it mildly.”

Other ads

The Senate Leadership Fund recently put out an ad saying former Democratic Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown “supports sex change surgery for kids, permanent surgical decisions with devastating consequences.”

Brown is going up against Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted in a competitive Senate race and Brown released his own ad in response. 

“Here they go again. Those same attacks against Sherrod Brown. With everything going on, that’s what they’re talking about. In Ohio, it’s against the law to perform transgender surgeries on kids. That’s right. It’s illegal,” Brown’s ad said. 

PolitiFact rated the Senate Leadership Fund ad as “false” and “found no evidence that Brown has ever said he supports forcing gender-transition surgery for children.”

Gay marriage

A new Gallup poll from earlier this year shows support for gay marriage is down six percentage points from its peak in 2022 and 2023. 

Today, 65% of people support same-sex marriage compared to 71% in 2022 and 2023. 

In 2021 and 2022, 55% of Republicans said they support legal same-sex marriage, but this year that figure dropped to 37%. Democrats’ views have remained the same with 87% in favor.  

“Same-sex marriage is still legal,” Rabie said. “It’s still the law of the land. So we hope that that continues.” 

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015 through the Obergefell v. Hodges case (which originated in Ohio), but as part of the 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade’s abortion protections from the 1970s, Justice Clarence Thomas said that the Supreme Court should reconsider other landmark cases, such as Obergefell.

Ohio Equal Rights is trying to get two amendments on next year’s ballot — including one that would eliminate the same-sex marriage ban in the Ohio Constitution. 

The other amendment would add language to the state’s constitution protecting citizens from discrimination based on race, color, creed or religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression regardless of sex assigned at birth, pregnancy status, genetic information, disease status, age, disability, recovery status, familial status, ancestry, national origin, or military and veteran status.  

Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.