ProgressOhio

Ohio House Bill 176, a bill the would prohibit housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, PASSED in the house this afternoon.
More details on the way.

UPDATE: Among those who voted no was GOP State Treaurer candidate Josh Mandel (R-Lyndhurst).

Never mind that just a few years ago as Undergraduate Student Government president, Mandel supported a student domestic partnership plan for same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried couples.

From The Lantern - April 2000:

“The Undergraduate Student Government representatives have been and will continue to advocate for domestic partner benefits in public and private settings,” said USG President Josh Mandel. “Students want it, students deserve it, and the university has a responsibility to provide it.”

Flash forward to 2009. Mandel approached my boss at the State House today to inform him that he would be voting no on House Bill 176. (Side note: my boss is gay. Mandel knows this.)

What happened between age 23 and 31, Josh?

Although most Republicans voted no, Mandel's colleague Ross McGregor (R-Springfield) today had this to say about HB 176 and youth:

"The younger people see this as the right thing to do because they understand that diversity and acceptance is what Ohio needs to promote."

McGregor spoke about the General Assembly staffers who have stopped him and praised him for doing the right thing. (HT BSB). He also said this is a jobs bill.

Unfortunately, representatives like McGregor are swimming against the tide within a party that only 3 years ago choose uber-homophobe Ken Blackwell for the top of its state ticket - and will likely nominate another fiscally reckless extremist in 2010.

I guess we all did some pretty silly things when we were 31. Fortunately for GLBTs in Ohio (and people who seem GLBT), there were 56 elders at the State House today (all 53 Democrats, and 3 Republicans) who did the right thing, showed backbone, and passed HB 176.

YES (56)          

Belcher    Blair    Bolon    Book
Boyd    Brown    Carney    Celeste
Chandler    DeBose    DeGeeter    Dodd
Dolan    Domenick    Driehaus    Dyer
Foley    Garland    Garrison    Gerberry
Goyal    Hagan    Harris    Harwood
Heard    Hite    Koziura    Lehner
Letson    Luckie    Lundy    Mallory
McGregor    Moran    Murray    Newcomb
Okey    Otterman    Phillips    Pillich
Pryor    Sayre    Schneider    Skindell
Slesnick    Stewart    Sykes    Szollosi
Ujvagi    Weddington    Williams B.    Williams S.
Winburn    Yates    Yuko    Budish

NO (39)

Adams J.      Adams R.      Amstutz      Bacon
Baker     Balderson     Batchelder     Blessing
Bubp     Burke     Coley     Combs
Daniels     Derickson     Evans     Gardner
Goodwin     Grossman     Hackett     Hall
Hottinger     Huffman     Jordan     Maag
Mandel     Martin     McClain     Mecklenborg
Morgan     Oelslager     Ruhl     Sears
Snitchler     Stautberg     Stebelton     Uecker
Wachtmann     Wagner     Zehringer