Ohio’s ID Bill Wants to Lock In Your “Biological Sex” - What’s Next, Baptism Certificates?

Who You Were Assigned at Birth vs. Who You Are Now

Ohio lawmakers, in a bold and unnecessary flex of bureaucratic bigotry, have inserted language into the state budget bill (yes, the budget) that requires all driver’s licenses and state-issued IDs to list “biological sex” instead of gender. This isn't some clerical adjustment—it’s a full-on state-sponsored denial of reality for transgender and nonbinary people.

➡️ You can read the full budget comparison doc here (PDF). Page 21 if you're feeling masochistic.

Let’s be blunt: this isn’t about public safety, identity security, or fraud prevention. It’s about enforcing a conservative worldview that says your gender identity doesn’t matter unless it matches what some hospital nurse jotted down on a birth certificate before you could blink.

Real-World Dumpster Fires: Hypothetical, but Not Unlikely

Let’s game this out with a few not-so-far-fetched scenarios—because reality under these laws always ends up sounding like a dystopian satire.

🚔 Scene One: Airport Security Gets Weird

You’re a trans woman flying out of Cleveland. TSA checks your ID.

• Your license says “M.”

• Your gender presentation is female.

• You get flagged for “suspicious documentation.”

Now you're subjected to extra screening, probing questions, and possibly even denied boarding—all because Ohio decided to play Sex Police with your driver’s license.

🏥 Scene Two: ER Roulette

Let’s say you're unconscious and paramedics pull your ID to figure out how to triage care. If your listed “biological sex” leads medical professionals to incorrect assumptions about your body (wrong organs, hormones, allergies?), congratulations—Ohio’s law may have just endangered your life in the name of accuracy.

👮 Scene Three: Pulled Over While Trans

Imagine you're nonbinary and get pulled over. Your ID says “F” (from birth), but you present and live as male. The officer is confused. You're now at risk of being misgendered, questioned, detained—or worse. Because in red states, gender confusion often escalates fast.

Forced Labeling for the Sake of... What, Exactly?

Here’s the kicker: there’s no functional reason to slap “biological sex” on a license unless the goal is to:

• Out trans and nonbinary people in daily interactions

• Empower bigots to question your identity

• Gatekeep services like housing, employment, or voting access

• Set legal precedent for more invasive data collection (like religion, marital status, or sexual orientation)

Because if you think this ends at "biological sex," I have a gold-plated Ark of the Covenant to sell you.

What’s next?

• “Straight” or “Queer” checkboxes?

• Mandatory disclosure of your birth name?

• Baptism verification seals to get a fishing license?

Let’s Not Pretend This Isn’t Religious

Ohio’s GOP platform isn’t exactly subtle: it’s dominated by Christian nationalist talking points. The same political forces backing “Natural Family Month” and “Don’t Say Gay” bills are behind this ID policy. They’re not interested in public safety—they’re building a legal framework for Christian-coded identity enforcement.

And that’s where this hits home for atheists, secular folks, and anyone who doesn’t think Leviticus should be the state’s style guide.

If the state gets to decide that “biology” trumps legal identity, how long before:

• Atheists get flagged as “moral risks”?

• You have to declare a religion (or lack thereof) on state forms?

• Only “natural families” get full access to government services?

We’ve seen this before—in history books, and in current headlines from theocratic regimes we claim to oppose.

A Reminder: Gender Is a Legal Identity

Ohio already allows legal gender marker changes via court orders. This bill steamrolls right over that, turning your legal identity into a state-forced contradiction. That’s not just cruel—it’s unconstitutional. If the courts don’t strike it down, you can bet the lawsuits are coming, fast and loud. (FFRF and ACLU, we’re looking at you.)

These Are the Folks Deciding What's on Your ID—So That's Terrifying

You’d think Ohio lawmakers would be busy fixing potholes or—just an idea—funding schools. But nah. They’re laser-focused on putting “biological sex” on your driver's license. And when you look at who is behind this, it starts to feel less like a bill and more like a petty crusade by people who think the Bible is a policy manual.

Let’s talk about some of the folks pushing this garbage, and the bonkers stuff they've actually said out loud, on record, with their real names attached.

🧠 Kristina Roegner

“There is no such thing as gender-affirming care. You can't affirm something that doesn't exist.”
📎 Yeah, she said that.

This is who gets to decide what goes on your ID—someone who thinks trans people are imaginary. If someone yelled this on a street corner, we’d cross the street. But she’s making laws.

🙃 Gary Click

“We want to help people align with the body God gave them.”
📎 He’s very serious about this.

He’s not just a lawmaker, he’s also a pastor—which is great if you’re looking for a sermon, but less great if you want, say, medical policy based on science and not Leviticus cosplay. He’s also a fan of conversion therapy. That’s not a red flag, that’s a whole damn parade.

🏛️ Jerry Cirino

Pushed a bill to defund DEI programs at Ohio universities.
📎 Cool story, Jerry.

Because if students feel safe and seen on campus, that’s apparently a threat to... freedom? Or something. Look, the logic isn’t supposed to make sense. It’s just supposed to hurt people.

🎯 Candice Keller

After the Dayton shooting, she blamed “the breakdown of the traditional family,” which—shocker—included drag queens and gay marriage.
📎 You can’t make this stuff up.

Actual people were killed, and her first thought was to drag LGBTQ+ folks into the blame game. That kind of worldview isn’t gone—it’s just got new messengers in the legislature.

🧼 Steve Huffman

“Do the colored population not wash their hands as well as other groups?”
📎 This was in a real hearing.

Yup. This came out of his mouth. In a public meeting. About COVID. But sure, let’s give this guy input on which “biological facts” should go on IDs.

Honorable Mention: J.D. Vance

Anti-marriage equality, regularly uses “groomer” language about LGBTQ+ folks.
📎 Just gross.

He's not in the Ohio Statehouse, but the vibes are contagious. He’s the ideological air freshener for this whole anti-queer movement.

TL;DR

These are the people trying to define your legal identity. The same people who deny that trans folks exist, who pine for the “natural family,” and who think drag queens are a national threat. It’s not just the language in the bill that matters—it’s the worldview behind it.

And that worldview is hostile, theocratic, and allergic to facts.

Bottom Line: This Is Government-Backed Misgendering

Requiring “biological sex” on IDs doesn’t make anyone safer. It doesn’t help law enforcement. It doesn’t solve fraud.

It just makes life harder for trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people—and opens the door to broader identity policing. If that doesn’t give secular Americans the heebie-jeebies, nothing will.

Related Rage Reads:

• The Bible Says What?! A Cuss-Filled Tour Through God’s Dumbest Laws

• The TheoBros’ Holy War: Patriarchy, Politics, and the Gospel According to Misogyny

External Sources:

• Ohio Senate Budget Doc, Page 21 (PDF)

• News5 Cleveland Breakdown of the Bill

• TransOhio’s Response to Anti-LGBTQ Legislation