As Ohio’s 2024 U.S. Senate race heats up, incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown is under attack by Republican-aligned super PACs claiming he supports puberty blockers for children. These misleading ads, which have aired widely across the state, distort Brown’s voting record on issues related to healthcare and transgender rights. Fact-checkers have labeled the allegations false, yet the attack has become a central theme in a campaign driven by fear-based messaging on LGBTQ+ issues.
The Basis of the Attack
The attack ads focus on Brown’s support for gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ protections. However, they take his voting record out of context. The specific claim that Brown has advocated for children to receive puberty blockers is not supported by his voting history. Instead, these allegations appear to be a gross misrepresentation of his positions on healthcare access and the rights of transgender individuals. Brown, a longtime advocate for equal healthcare access, has supported broader measures that protect the rights of all citizens, including transgender youth, to access medical care.
Notably, these votes never specifically endorsed or promoted puberty blockers for minors. One of the key pieces of legislation being twisted in these attack ads is Brown’s vote against amendments that sought to deny transgender students access to school sports and healthcare. These amendments, attached to broader budgetary or education bills, did not pertain to medical procedures like puberty blockers. Rather, they sought to remove funding from schools that allow transgender youth to participate in activities that align with their gender identity.
Misleading Ads Targeting Gender-Affirming Care
Brown’s opponents have increasingly used gender-affirming care as a political wedge issue, taking advantage of public confusion and fear surrounding transgender healthcare. Puberty blockers, a reversible treatment designed to delay puberty in children experiencing gender dysphoria, have become a focal point in these debates. Anti-transgender rhetoric, especially in Republican political campaigns, often falsely suggests that Democrats, including Brown, support unrestricted medical interventions for minors without parental consent or medical oversight.
These ads are not isolated to Ohio. They reflect a broader national strategy where GOP candidates and super PACs target Democrats with accusations of supporting “radical” policies on transgender rights, regardless of the facts. Across the country, similar attacks have been made against other Democratic candidates, who, like Brown, have simply advocated for the protection of LGBTQ+ rights.
Fact-Checking and Public Responses
Independent fact-checkers have thoroughly debunked these claims. PolitiFact, for instance, analyzed Brown’s voting record and concluded that the allegations are misleading. The most recent fact-check examined claims that Brown “supports puberty blockers for children” and found no evidence that his legislative actions have promoted this. The attacks against Brown seem to be part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at painting him as out of touch with Ohio values.
In response to the ads, Brown’s campaign has emphasized his commitment to protecting healthcare access for all Ohioans, while condemning the exploitation of children’s healthcare as a political issue. A spokesperson for Brown, Matt Keyes, said in a recent statement, “Sherrod has always stood for expanding healthcare access and ensuring that Ohioans can make healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. These ads are part of a disingenuous attempt to distract from his real record of fighting for working families in Ohio.”
The Broader Political Context
The false attacks come at a time when LGBTQ+ rights have become a flashpoint in American politics. Across the country, Republican candidates have pushed legislation that restricts transgender rights, including bans on gender-affirming care for minors, restrictions on trans athletes, and attempts to roll back legal protections for transgender adults. In Ohio, these national trends have been mirrored in state legislative efforts, making the issue of transgender healthcare central to the state’s political dialogue heading into the 2024 election.
Brown’s opponent, Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman backed by the Republican establishment, has echoed these attack lines. Moreno has used the issue of transgender healthcare to rally his conservative base, aligning himself with efforts to restrict gender-affirming care. Moreno’s platform includes support for Ohio’s proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors, legislation that would prohibit medical professionals from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapies to individuals under 18.
The focus on LGBTQ+ rights in this race underscores the increasing polarization around social issues. While Moreno has seized on the transgender rights debate to fuel his campaign, Brown has largely focused on economic issues and defending his record on healthcare expansion.
Voters and Misinformation
The spread of misinformation through political ads is a growing concern for election integrity. Voters often rely on campaign messaging to make informed decisions, but when those messages are based on distortions or outright falsehoods, the democratic process suffers. Brown’s campaign has been working to counter the misleading narratives by issuing clarifications and relying on fact-checkers to set the record straight.
Despite the falsehoods, these ads are likely to resonate with some voters, particularly those who are swayed by the emotionally charged debate over transgender rights. For this reason, it’s important for voters to scrutinize the facts, rely on trusted sources of information, and understand the complexity of the issues before casting their votes.
As the 2024 election draws nearer, the attacks on Sherrod Brown reflect a broader strategy by his opponents to mislead voters on sensitive issues. The claims about puberty blockers are not rooted in Brown’s actual voting record or policy positions but are instead designed to stoke fear and division. Voters in Ohio should be aware of these tactics and seek out factual, balanced information when evaluating candidates.
With Brown’s long history of fighting for healthcare access and equality, his record speaks to his commitment to representing all Ohioans—not the distorted version presented by these attack ads.
