Democratic lawmakers at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday unveiled a package of bills aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ rights, in a direct response to legislation they say targets the community. https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/ohio-democrats-introduce-lgbtq-rights-legislation-response-to-gop-bills/530-c8c7425b-b2e0-4e43-8512-899b1e6c2527 Democrats said the legislation, announced during Pride Month, affirms the dignity, safety and rights of LGBTQ+ Ohioans. The bills include proposals to ban conversion therapy, protect marriage equality and ensure basic civil rights. "Members of the LGBTQ community survived persecution, survived erasure a long time ago," said Sen. Nickie Antonio. "We are not going back to those days." The legislative package is seen as a counter to several Republican-sponsored measures, including the SAFE Act, which bans gender-affirming surgeries and hormone therapies for minors, and a separate bill restricting transgender students from using multi-person bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Democrats criticized what they described as an ongoing effort by “extreme Republicans” to erase LGBTQ+ individuals from public life. "This is about recognizing the lived realities of the thousands of Ohioans who deserve to see their rights protected and respected," said Rep. Eric Synenberg. Outside the Statehouse, Republican representatives and state leaders gathered for a day of prayer organized by Rep. Gary Click, the sponsor of the SAFE Act. Click rejected accusations that the legislation is part of a culture war, as Democrats claimed earlier in the day. “We just want parents to be involved in children’s lives,” Click said. “We want parents to be able to make some of these decisions and for things not to go on covertly or behind their backs or subvert the parents' direction in a child's life." As of now, Democrats say they have no Republican co-sponsors on the legislation.