Ohio Republican lawmakers have introduced House Bill 693, dubbed the “Affirming Families First Act,” which would bar child-protection investigations and certain custody-related restrictions when the only issue is a parent’s insistence on a child’s biological sex. Ohio’s top Democratic legislative leaders declined to take a position when contacted by The Daily Wire, which also linked the debate to President Donald Trump’s remarks about a Virginia custody dispute during his Feb. 24, 2026, State of the Union address.
In Ohio, Republican state Reps. Gary Click and Josh Williams announced legislation they call the “Affirming Families First Act,” saying it is intended to clarify that a parent’s affirmation of a child’s biological sex cannot, by itself, be treated as child abuse or neglect.
A Feb. 10, 2026 press release from Williams’ office said the proposal aims to “clarify parental rights and limit gender-identity screening” in the state’s child-welfare system. In that statement, Williams said: “No parent should lose custody, face state intervention, or be deemed unfit simply for affirming a child’s sex.”
The bill is filed in the Ohio House as House Bill 693, titled “Enact the Affirming Families First Act,” according to the Ohio Legislature’s public bill listing.
In an article published March 3, 2026, The Daily Wire reported that it asked Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio and Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn for their positions on the bill. The outlet said Isaacsohn’s office responded, “At this time, the office is not providing a comment. Our focus remains on issues Ohio families care about most, including affordability, access to services, and accountability in state government,” and that Antonio did not respond to multiple requests.
The Daily Wire also reported that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton did not respond to its requests for comment. Acton is widely viewed as the leading Democratic contender in the 2026 Ohio governor’s race, according to recent reporting by The Associated Press.
One Ohio Democrat, state Rep. Tristan Rader, told The Daily Wire he opposed the bill, calling it a “direct attack on the LGBTQIA+ community,” particularly “transgender children and their families.” Rader added that the legislation “is not about protecting kids,” and argued it would stigmatize parents seeking “medically recommended, evidence based gender affirming care,” urging instead “appropriate health care and mental health support.”
The Daily Wire article framed the Ohio proposal as part of a broader national debate and pointed to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026. In the address transcript published by the Associated Press, Trump referenced “Sage Blair and her mother, Michele,” describing a case in which he said a “left-wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents” because they did not immediately affirm a male identity. Trump also called for action to prevent states from “transition[ing]” children “against the parents’ will,” and, after noting a lack of applause from Democrats, said: “Nobody stands up, these people are crazy.”
The Daily Wire further said Virginia lawmakers had not passed “Sage’s Law,” which it described as protecting a parent’s right to affirm a child’s “correct sex.” Details of Virginia’s legislative proposals were not independently verified in the sources reviewed here.
The Daily Wire also quoted Laura Hanford, identified as a senior policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation’s Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Human Flourishing, arguing that state-by-state policies leave families vulnerable and calling for federal legislation. Hanford said that without federal action, minors could “run away to blue states” for what she described as “sex-rejecting procedures,” and she alleged a network of nonprofits encourages such moves. She also claimed, without providing evidence in the article, that “Congressional Democrats are entirely in the pockets of the billion-dollar gender lobby.”
