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Ohio state employees will now be protected from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ohio Governor John Kasich has signed an historic executive order protecting LGBTQ state employees from discrimination. In what will be a defining element of Governor Kasich’s legacy, he will be the first Republican Governor of a state without statutory protections for LGBTQ people to issue an executive order protecting state employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

“Governor Kasich heard his constituents loud and clear and today took action to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in the workplace,” said Masen Davis, CEO of Freedom for All Americans. “Our nation is at its strongest when we’re all free to work hard, earn a decent living, and go about our lives without fear of discrimination. This executive order paves the way towards comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for all LGBT Ohioans and is the most recent indication of growing bipartisan support for protecting all LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in their workplaces, their homes, and their communities.”

Kasich will leave office next month, and will be replaced by Governor-elect Mike DeWine. DeWine has not weighed in on this specific executive order, but has in the past expressed an openness to preserving Kasich’s executive orders.