John Kasich, Ohio's outgoing Republican
governor, on Wednesday signed an executive order prohibiting
workplace discrimination against transgender state workers.
The order replaces a previous order
that included sexual orientation, but not gender identity.
Equality Ohio, the state's largest LGBT
rights advocate, had called on Kasich to sign such an order before
leaving office.
“Equality Ohio has been sending the
governor letters with stories from LGBTQ Ohioans about their
experiences with discrimination throughout the year and finding
opportunities to grow his familiarity with transgender people and
their lives,” Equality Ohio Executive Director Alana Jochum said in
a statement. “He heard this call, and we are grateful for Gov.
Kasich’s leadership in extending non-discrimination protections for
transgender state employees.”
Jame Knapp, executive director of
TransOhio, called
the move “historic.”
While such orders can be reversed by a
new administration, Freedom for All Americans said in a statement
praising the order that Governor-elect Mike DeWine, a Republican, has
expressed some support for preserving Kasich's order.
Kasich, who campaigned for the 2016
Republican presidential nomination, has frequently criticized
President Donald Trump's policies. Kasich recently told the
Cleveland Plain Dealer that he plans to stay out of the 2020
race. “I can't beat [Trump] in a primary,” he
said.