Click Responds to Judge Michael Holbrook's Ruling on The SAFE Act

COLUMBUS – State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) released the following statement Tuesday regarding Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook’s ruling on HB 68.

“Judge Michael Holbrook should be commended for following the facts of the law in his ruling today while we celebrate the excellent advocacy of Ohio’s Attorney General, Dave Yost. This has been a long hard fight to protect minors in the State of Ohio. Sex change procedures, including dangerous drug interventions and surgeries, are a failed experiment that has been harming children around the world. Today, the Franklin County Court of Common Please upheld the right of the people of Ohio to ban such radical and risky procedures through their duly elected representatives. 

Despite the best efforts of the ACLU to shop for a friendly court, we learned that the facts matter, the law matters, the science matters, and above all, the voice of the people matters most. A strong cross-section of Ohioans, from both sides of the political aisle, of all races, including members of the LGBTQ community recognize that decisions like these are too consequential to be made for and by minors who are incapable of providing informed consent and they asked their legislature to do something about it. We did.

This decision inaugurates a new era of safety and protection not only for minors facing mental health challenges but also for our young women who deserve the full extent of their Title IX protections. No longer do female athletes have to fear losing a spot on the starting lineup to a young man, worry about unnecessary injuries due to unfair competition, or surrendering their medals and scholarships to young men.  Once again, we anticipate protecting their privacy in their own locker rooms.

We understand that the ACLU is likely to appeal. However, we are confident that that if they cannot prevail in their handpicked court neither are they likely to succeed in Ohio’s highest court. Not only do we trust the science, but we also trust the justice system to uphold this duly enacted law.