Ohio GOP bill imagines 'Natural Family Month' without LGBTQ+ or single parents
House Bill 262, entitled the 'Designate Natural Family Month' bill, was co-sponsored by Republican state Reps. Josh Williams and Beth Lear. The pair introduced it on May 13, saying the bill addresses falling birth rates in the country by promoting a return to the two-parent household.
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'With America facing declining birth rates and a shrinking population, we can no longer afford to ignore the foundational role that strong families play in sustaining our future,' Williams said in a statement. 'H.B. 262 is about more than policy—it's about promoting the economic and social stability that comes from raising children in healthy, two-parent households. We must use every tool at our disposal to support the families that are building the next generation of Americans.'
'The weeks from Mother's Day, which is the second Sunday in May, to Father's Day, which is the third Sunday in June, shall be designated as 'Natural Family Month,'' the text of the bill reads, not specifically discriminating against LGBTQ+ or single families, but Williams does not shy away from the bill's ultimate aim.
Related: Ohio Democrats call out GOP for targeting LGBTQ+ people
He confirmed that 'the purpose of the month is to promote natural families – meaning a man, a woman, and their children – as a way to encourage higher birth rates' in an emailed statement to NBC News.
The Natural Family Foundation, a pro-natalist group, reportedly lobbied for the bill, The Buckeye Flame reports. The group celebrated 'Natural Family Month' in a post to social media two days before the legislation was introduced.
'Today is the start of the Natural Family Celebration from Mother's Day through Father's Day,' the group declared.
The Natural Family Foundation | Today is the start of the Natural Family Celebration from Mother's Day through Father' Day | Facebook www.facebook.com
A more recent post by the group linked to their recent 'Mother's Day sermon' that was addressed to both 'moms everywhere' and the state's 'wicked governor,' and added, 'May Christ be praised!'
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Dwayne Steward, director of Equality Ohio, said the bill 'takes direct aim' at queer families in Ohio.
'It not only invalidates the existence of single parents and countless other caregivers, but it takes direct aim at LGBTQ+ families across our state,' Steward told the Flame. 'The so-called 'Natural Family Foundation,' the group pushing this legislation, has made their ideology clear: if you're not a heterosexual, monogamous couple with children, you don't count as a family at all.'
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