GW Expert Available: Ohio Lawmakers Pass Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

Ohio state lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday night that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, joining almost two dozen other states that have passed similar restrictions in the last two years. The bill heads to the governor’s desk for approval. According to The Washington Post, “some families of transgender youths who live in states with bans had been traveling to Ohio for gender-affirming care and now may have to seek other options.”

Rhonda Schwindt is an associate professor of nursing at the George Washington University as well as a nationally certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with an active clinical practice specializing in LGBTQIA+ health, trauma, and treatment-resistant mood disorders. Schwindt leads efforts to prepare future nurse practitioners in providing affirming mental health care to transgender and gender-expansive patients.

Schwindt can discuss the impact discriminatory legislation and harmful rhetoric has on members of the LGBTQ+ community. She can also discuss inequities in healthcare and the importance of educating future clinicians to better serve diverse communities. Schwindt can also share ways that people can be better allies of the LGBTQ+ community. 

WATCH: Hear more from Schwindt on advancing equity for the LGBTQ+ community in healthcare and society in this video.

If you would like to speak with Prof. Schwindt, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].