'The world is changing': Ohio could soon see expanded protections against hate crimes

Is a hate crime law needed in Ohio? Republicans split

Ohio Republican state Rep. Josh Williams speaks to fellow lawmakers. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.)A bipartisan pair of Ohio lawmakers defended their bill that would make hate crimes illegal, increasing penalties for assaulting or terrorizing someone based on their race, sex, and even political affiliation. “Look, as a Black man in America, I’ve been called the N-word a lot in my life — more now that I’m a politician that’s Black as a Republican …

'The world is changing': Ohio could soon see expanded protections against hate crimes

Nearly 12,000 hate crimes were reported to the FBI from 2020 to 2024, the second-highest number ever recorded.

Bipartisan Ohio hate-crimes bill excludes transgender people from protections

An Ohio House committee held a first hearing on Wednesday for a bill that would establish a hate crimes law in Ohio.  One of the co-sponsors specifically stated that the bill does not include protections for transgender Ohioans. It is up for debate whether sexual orientation would be a protected category. HB 306 seeks to “prohibit hate crimes and to create a civil remedy for a person who is terrorized by another because of specific characteristi…