Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates in Ohio are speaking out after Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) ran anti-trans ads in the state. The Republican opponent in Kaptur’s re-election campaign, Derek Merrin, ran ads claiming that Kaptur supported trans people. Kaptur responded with ads that pushed anti-trans slogans.
“We are joining the call to ask Representative Kaptur to take down these harmful ads,” the Lucas County Democrats wrote on social media. “Kaptur is a better candidate with better policies and a long history of supporting equal rights, and even gerrymandered districts shouldn’t make us stoop to Derek Merrin’s level.”
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Kaptur’s new ads started appearing online last week, with the first ad hoping to refute Merrin’s attacks by claiming that voters should support her because she sided with the Republicans on anti-trans matters.
In doing so, she didn’t hide behind an idea of trying to make moderate moves, she quoted three distinct lines from the Republican anti-trans playbook: she used the term “transgender ideology” (used by anti-trans people to suggest that trans identities are a belief or lifestyle choice); she said “parents know what’s best for their kids” (which is used to argue for outing trans kids to parents, even when the parents may be dangerously unsupportive); and said “boys should not play in girls sports” (calling trans girls “boys” and being misleading about the athletic abilities of trans children).
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Kaptur also parroted Republican talking points in another ad, saying, “I’ve repeatedly said no to my own party. No to defunding the police. No to open border policies. And no to teaching gender ideology in schools. I work for you.”
In response, multiple Ohio Democrats groups from Kaptur’s district have released statements about the ads.
Lucas County Democrats said, “Congresswoman Kaptur’s campaign recently began running ads with hurtful language and references to ‘trans ideology.’ This is the type of harmful ad we expect from Derek Merrin and the Republicans. We are disappointed and ashamed that the Kaptur campaign stooped to their level by using this incredibly dangerous anti-trans rhetoric.”
The Lucas County Young Democrats and the Wood County (Ohio) Democrats released similar statements.
Meanwhile, the LGBTQ+ org, Lucas County Stonewall Democrats released a more fiery statement, saying, “Shame on you and your campaign staff for pushing this incredibly harmful anti-trans rhetoric,” and going on to say, “There is no difference between whether Marcy Kaptur or Derek Merrin serves as our next Congressperson – you are both united against the LBTQIA+ community.”
In their 2026 candidate scorecard, Equality Ohio had originally given Kaptur a “B,” acknowledging her long-term support of the Equality Act and her often high score from the Human Rights Campaign, which went from 97, to 100, then back to 95 over the last six years. However, since the anti-trans ads started airing, Equality Ohio has revised her grade down to a “D” and noted that she “voted for HR 2616, a bill that is anti-trans equality, and she recently released anti-trans ads.”
The CEO and executive director of Equality Ohio, Dwayne Steward, criticized Kaptur’s move when talking to The Buckeye Flame.
He said, “Targeting trans people isn’t the winning strategy some people think it is. Ohioans are worried about rising costs, making rent, having food on their table, seeking medical care, and that’s where real leadership should be focused. Real leadership means refusing this culture war bait, not reaching for it.”
Similarly, Dara Adkison, the executive director for Trans Ohio, said, “Transgender people are not an ideology, we are not an issue, we are human beings who just want to exist with the same rights and dignity as everyone else. No elected official regardless of party should be proud of a voting record of bipartisan bigotry, of deciding some Ohioans deserve representation while others dehumanization and hatred.”
As told to Erin in the Morning by candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives, Arienne Childrey, the Pride Caucus of the Ohio Democratic Party had originally reposted the Lucas County Democrats’ criticism of Kaptur’s anti-trans ads. However, the repost was then deleted from the social media account by the Ohio Democratic Party without consultation with the caucus. When they reposted it a second time, it was removed again.
Transgender journalist S. Baum noted that Equality PAC, the self-described “political arm of the Congressional Equality Caucus,” recently endorsed Kaptur and other Democrats with anti-trans views as part of its “pro-equality” slate. In response to Erin in the Morning‘s reporting, Equality PAC released a statement indicating it won’t tolerate Democrats “scapegoating transgender people.” Kaptur no longer appears on their endorsed candidate list, but several other Democrats who have made anti-trans statements and votes still do.
“We must not lose the art of persuasion, and it is imperative that we continue to welcome ‘imperfect allies’ to facilitate meaningful and lasting change for the LGBTQ community,” the PAC’s statement said in part. “But there is a clear line: we will not accept candidates or Members using Republican rhetoric that actively harms members of our community — particularly transgender Americans, who have been the target of sustained attacks from the Trump Administration.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) having been pushing efforts to discourage Democratic candidates from buying into anti-trans campaigning. In the wake of Kaptur’s ads, in a post urging candidates to do the right thing, HRC president Kelley Robinson used Kaptur as an example.
“Recently, Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur’s opponent aired an attack focused on the inclusion of transgender children in school sports. She could have said, ‘I believe in safety and fairness for all kids.’ Or, ‘Blanket bans that bully six-year-olds and make nobody safer are wrong.’ But instead, Kaptur released two of her own ads touting that she voted with Republicans to take Don’t Say Trans nationwide — legislation designed to ban books, police curriculum, and force teachers to out trans students. She spoke directly to camera. And she took the words right out of MAGA’s mouth. This isn’t independence — it’s capitulation,” Robinson said.
In a separate press release, the HRC also pointed to some crucial stats to help candidates remember that “supporting equality isn’t just good public policy, it’s also a winning strategy with voters.”
The HRC pointed out that in battleground congressional districts, 77% of voters oppose legislation that would force trans people to no longer take transition-related medication. Additionally, they highlighted that at least 12% of the adult US population identify as LGBTQ+ and 92% of them say they are “definitely voting.”
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