'Ohio GOP's drag ban cosponsor was accused of sexual conduct with a minor' & other Mon/Tue news briefs

Ohio state rep Rodney Creech

Ohio GOP's drag ban cosponsor was accused of sexual misconduct with minor relative:

 (State Rep. Rodney) Creech was accused in 2023 by a minor female relative of climbing into bed with her while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents obtained by the Statehouse News Bureau. Text messages showed the minor complaining that Creech had been rubbing her legs and grabbing her waist, according to NBC4. Creech admitted to investigators he had gotten into bed with the minor in his underwear but denied the sexual nature of the allegations. 

 Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll, brought in as a special prosecutor, declined to file charges but wrote that Creech’s “behavior during the time of the investigation was concerning and suspicious,” according to documents reported by the Dayton Daily News. Creech has called the allegations “demonstrably false.” 

 The allegations were initially brought to the Preble County Sheriff’s Department in July 2023, but no investigation was opened. Both the sheriff and then-Prosecutor Martin Votel — personal friends of Creech — later recused themselves. Five months after Votel was credited by the sheriff with turning away the allegations, Creech donated $4,100 to Votel’s judicial campaign — accounting for roughly 75% of Votel’s total fundraising, according to the Dayton Daily News. Votel, now a Preble County Common Pleas Court judge, denied any impropriety. 

 Tennessee librarian risks job after refusing to move LGBTQ+ children’s books: 

 Luanne James, director of the Rutherford County Library System in Tennessee, has garnered national support after refusing to move more than 190 LGBTQ+-themed books out of youth sections. In an 18 March letter she sent to the board, she argued that relocating the titles would amount to “viewpoint discrimination” and violate the First Amendment, writing plainly: “Therefore, I will not comply.”

Heard enough news about trans people? Believe me, so have I - Jace Woodrum, a trans man and executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina breaks it down: 

 Like most people, I’m shocked at what I’m paying at the grocery store. I’m worried about how South Carolina might change as people continue moving here. I’m concerned about the teachers who have left my kid’s school for jobs outside of education. 

But our lawmakers don’t seem to be doing anything about how expensive everything is or about rapid growth. And they don’t seem to be doing enough about the pressures facing our educators. Our legislators have only 54 days out of each year to get things done in their regular session. They seem to be spending a lot of time on proposals that harm a small population instead of using that time to help the everyday South Carolinians who sent them there. 

Trans Ohioans create a safe space to teach other trans people how to shoot guns and handle firearms safely - I fully support this. In this climate, it is vital that trans Americans learn to defend themselves: 

Some have never shot a firearm before, but felt safe enough to do it with the help of Fifi and Bella, two trans people of color. (The Buckeye Flame has omitted surnames and changed some first names upon request due to safety concerns.) Fifi was inspired to host the class after they moved back home to Ohio in 2022. They had been living in Portland, Oregon and was shocked by the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation moving through the Republican-controlled Ohio Statehouse. Range goers cited the legislation as key to their decision to own a gun and to learn how to shoot.