Trans candidate aims to unseat the cosponsor of a draconian anti-drag bill

A transgender woman is aiming to unseat an Ohio lawmaker who cosponsored the state’s anti-drag bill. If elected, she would also be the first out trans person to serve in the state’s House of Representatives.

Arienne Childrey is currently running unopposed in the March 19 Democratic primary election to represent Ohio’s District 84. As the 40-year-old told local Cincinnati outlet CityBeat, she decided to run specifically to oppose state Rep. Angela King (R).

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Last summer, King and fellow Republican state Rep. Josh Williams introduced House Bill 245, which would legally redefine “adult cabaret performances” in the state to include “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer’s or entertainer’s gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers.”

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The proposed legislation is one of many bills that have been introduced in state houses across the country aimed at banning drag performances in the presence of children. In testimony last month, King cited video of a drag performance that took place in her community.

But while King insisted that under HB 245 trans people would still be able to “express their gender as they go to a grocery store, the post office, and live their daily lives,” opponents say the bill would target the trans community. In a statement this summer, Stonewall Columbus executive director Densil Porteus said that the proposed law “aims to give power to others as to when they believe gender impersonation/drag is being performed.”

As writer Joy Ellison noted in an August editorial for Matter, in its current form, the bill makes it clear: Trans entertainers would be banned from performing anywhere but adult venues in Ohio.

Childrey, an Ohio resident since 2014 and the founder of Northwest Ohio Trans Advocacy, told CityBeat that she couldn’t sit by and let King run unopposed in the upcoming November election.

“If you’re going to attack our communities, then you’re gonna have to compete against someone from our community,” she said.  

“It’s well past time that we’ve got somebody who goes to the Statehouse who’s actually interested in dealing with those issues — issues that actually impact people that can help our lives — rather than somebody who’s more focused on who they can hurt, rather than who they can help,” she added. 

Childrey opposes Ohio’s recently passed ban on gender-affirming care. She is also running on education issues like increasing teacher pay, as well as on expanding broadband access to rural areas and strengthening unions in the state.

“Arienne’s commitment to public service and her resilience in the face of adversity sets a powerful example for us all,” transgender advocacy organization TransOhio said in a statement. “As she navigates the challenges that come with this groundbreaking journey, we also want to acknowledge the significance of her candidacy and the impact it will have on paving the way for future generations of trans leaders.”

“The only thing that could possibly make me more happy than being the first trans woman elected in the state of Ohio,” Childrey said, “is to not be the only trans person elected in the state of Ohio.”