On March 27th, 2024, Toledo City Council unanimously approved Resolution R-117-24 titled “Expressing Toledo City Council’s commitment to affirming the rights and intrinsic value of members of the transgender community, and condemning the gerrymandered General Assembly’s extreme and prejudiced override of Governor DeWine’s veto of H.B. 68, and requesting that the State of Ohio adopt policies to support and encourage access to all medically necessary healthcare that promotes each individual’s physical wellbeing and mental health.” This affirmation of the transgender community marks the continued effort of the City of Toledo to build an intentional sense of belonging and community with our LGBTQ+ population and visitors.

HB 68 fully bans gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors under 18 years old despite the well-documented support from international medical authorities, who have attested to the life-saving properties of such care. This legislation not only prohibits hormone therapy but extends to restrain clinicians from referring patients to mental health care concerning a gender-related condition. This is of grave consequence as research indicates that access to gender-affirming healthcare improves the overall well-being of transgender people and that access to gender-affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide. Additionally, many transgender people already have less access to the care they need due to poverty, discrimination, and a shortage of providers

Rather than allow parents of youth to make the best health decisions for their children, and contrary to the expertise of the medical community, lawmakers in Ohio’s legislature continue to needlessly place the government in the driver's seat for the decision-making of families. Surveys show eighty percent of Ohioans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people, which further illuminates the General Assembly’s disregard for issues that are supported by the majority of residents in Ohio.

Despite these exclusionary and harmful actions by our state government, the City of Toledo strives to create a safe harbor for the transgender community, their families, friends, and allies to call home. Creating a home requires more than acknowledging issues, it requires a community uniting to uplift those with less opportunity.

The City of Toledo’s Human Relations Commission invites you to join us for the annual Human Library on April 27th, 2024. We ask that you continue to learn from your neighbors and share your sense of community through life stories and dialogue.

The ongoing violence and destruction in Israel and Gaza have left us all deeply saddened and bewildered. Welcome Toledo-Lucas County extends its support to all victims of this violence, including those who have been compelled to flee their homes and those whose lives have been forever altered.

While our primary mission as a Welcoming Initiative is to assist with those who come to the United States to embark on a new life in our community, we are an organization guided by conscience, and we stand in solidarity with all victims of violence. We unequivocally condemn the violence and human rights violations of this conflict and align ourselves with any and all efforts toward peace in the Middle East.

These turbulent times are often when harmful narratives take root and anti-immigrant sentiment, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, can gain traction. Welcome Toledo-Lucas County is committed to combating these sentiments and dispelling the myths upon which they are founded. We wholeheartedly encourage open dialogue to counter the falsehoods fueling the rise of xenophobia. We invited you to share your immigrant stories, continue discussing the positive contributions that immigrants, particularly refugees, bring to Northwest Ohio, and, above all, advocate for peace.

In the 135th Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio House of Representatives has proposed and passed legislation that is harmful, divisive, and would unnecessarily encumber the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals and their families.

These discriminatory bills are particularly detrimental to Ohio’s youth and young adults. House Bills 8 and 68 –legislation that forces the outing of students and bans gender affirming-care, respectively– would deny LGBTQ+ kids a welcoming and safe environment to learn, pushing them further to the margins of society and violating their fundamental right to equality in public schools. Moreover, every credible medical organization in the United States supports age-appropriate gender-affirming care. HB 6, an Anti-Trans Sport Ban, claims to protect women’s sports. However, this bill does not address the real issue facing women in sports which is the lack of resources supporting them. All the while, sixty-seven percent of Americans oppose anti-transgender sports bans. The proposed HB 245 would limit drag shows, hindering the artistic expression and financial security of performers.

Ohioans are guaranteed inalienable rights under both the U.S. and Ohio constitutions. These bills threaten those rights. Additionally, bills such as HB 151 would make it more difficult for the students and faculty of colleges and universities to discuss matters of discrimination and inequality, further inhibiting our ability to configure solutions to these pressing issues. These bills are overreaching and designed to restrict the equality of LGBTQ+ people. Not only are they riddled with false propositions but they embolden the real threats against LGBTQ+ individuals as we’ve seen recently in our community. These bills are not about bettering the lives of Ohioans, rather they are meant to support a cultural divide.

In Toledo, we have a vibrant and thriving LGBTQ+ community full of passionate and driven individuals who help to make our city the great and beautiful place that it is today. The City of Toledo’s Human Relations Commission stands in support of the LGBTQ+ community, vehemently opposes any anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Ohio, and calls on the Ohio Senate to reject HB 8 and HB 68. Additionally, we encourage everyone in the City of Toledo to support the annual Toledo Pride celebration from August 18th to 20th.

Thank you for your support.

Lucas County, the City of Toledo, and the cross-sector Welcome Toledo-Lucas County partnership stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their efforts to withstand the invasion by Russia. We condemn this unprovoked attack on a sovereign, democratic nation. The threat to the lives and stability of thousands of Ukrainian citizens must be met with compassion and support. Toledo and Lucas County are home to thousands of immigrants from nations around the world and will continue to provide a safe haven to all those who seek peace and community. As the freedom and security of thousands of Ukrainian nationals are threatened by this affront to human rights, the Welcome TLC network proudly stands ready to welcome them to our country and to our community.

Hate crimes and propaganda surged in 2020 and continues to surge in 2021.

We are witnessing historic increases in anti-Asian incidents and assaults. The latest being Tuesday’s mass shooting deaths of eight people in the Atlanta area, six of whom were Asian women.

Anti-Asian sentiment has no place in the United States and no place in Toledo.

The Toledo Human Relations Commission (HRC) is committed to supporting immigrants and Americans who are Asian throughout the Greater Toledo area and denounces Tuesday’s tragic events.

The HRC Social Justice Committee is actively developing programs and partnerships that promote equality, advance equity, and celebrate our inclusivity. The HRC Stop the Violence Committee is actively developing programs and partnerships with safety forces and community agencies toward ending all violence in the city.

We ask you join us in action.

Today a verdict has been rendered in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

This long process of justice has taken nearly a year since the tragic afternoon where Mr. Floyd’s life was cut short. During that time, our Nation witnessed a historic increase in acts of bigotry specifically against our Black, Brown and Asian neighbors and community members. Most every Toledo resident has been deeply affected one way or another by the events of the last year, including the death of Mr. Floyd.

As mass shootings continue and the stress and strain over COVID affect our lives, we hope this verdict serves as a small glimmer of hope. That justice will be done. That hope will overcome hate.

The City of Toledo’s Human Relations Commission stands together with each and every member of the community as we process today’s verdict.

We support the community’s right to gather safely and peacefully. To heal, together.

The Toledo Human Relations Commission (HRC) joins the City of Toledo, and the community at-large, in mourning the loss of Officer Brandon Stalker.

Officer Stalker was fatally shot last Monday in line of duty after 2.5 years of services to the TPD. AT 24 years old, he leaves behind a fiancée and two children. A 7-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old son. He is the second Toledo Police Officer killed in the line of duty within the last year. More than the last 30 years in Toledo, combined.

Officer Stalker is victim of gun violence.

It once again reminds us of the need to do our part in reducing violence at every level, and every corner, of society. The HRC reaffirms our pledge to “to support a safe, energetic, and livable city“. Furthermore, the HRC Stop the Violence Committee has an explicit mission to work hand-in-hand with safety forces and community agencies throughout Toledo to end all violence in the city. Our all-volunteer team is committed more than ever.

We acknowledge Officer Stalker’s decision and dedication “to protect and to serve“ the citizens of Toledo - the motto of the Toledo Police Department.

We honor his memory and mourn his loss.

The events of last week and the impassioned controversy have no doubt left many of our beloved Toledo residents shaken.

Whether it be the clear lack of police presence starkly in contrast with the social justice protests this summer; a rebel flag - an universal symbol of hate and division - carried proudly through the hallowed halls of the Rotunda; or simply the fact that the US Capitol, a beacon of freedom, hope, and liberty around the world, was overrun by terrorists while our Representatives feared for their lives. We share your grief and disbelief at the desecration of our sacred democracy.

Further, leaders within our local media, a voice for the region of Toledo, were revealed to be personally supportive of the insurrection.

A position and brand we wholeheartedly condemn.

We want the Nation to know that the majority of Toledo residents embrace diversity, inclusion, dignity, and respect for all.

The HRC’s mission is to endeavor to support a safe, energetic, and livable city. The commission supports residents working to overcome prejudice and build mutual respect. We are committed to our core to this mission.

We are ready to work with our residents. Standing by to support you. To begin healing and rebuilding from the events of last week, together.

With a mission to create a safe, energetic, and livable city while supporting residents to overcome prejudice and build mutual respect, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) supports all efforts to eradicate housing discrimination.

The HRC affirms its support of the Source of Income Protection legislation which is under consideration before the Toledo City Council. This historical legislation would expand quality housing options for underserved members of our community and help to address systemic barriers to opportunity.

The proposed legislation would add “source of income“ as an additional protected class in the City of Toledo. If passed, any tenant who has the ability to pay rent could not be denied housing just because they have a nontraditional source of income. This includes all legal, reliable sources of income such as social security, military and disability benefits, and most significantly, housing choice vouchers (HCV), commonly referred to as Section 8. HCV tenants face significant barriers when seeking housing, as many landlords refuse to accept vouchers.

This means that many tenants are left with limited and poor quality housing options, often located in lower opportunity neighborhoods. Source of income discrimination restricts housing mobility, preventing tenants from accessing higher opportunity areas, which perpetuates residential segregation and geographic concentrations of poverty.

Without source of income protection, we are essentially allowing landlords to decide where people can live, which means the most vulnerable people in our community will not be able to live in neighborhoods with access to the vital resources they need to thrive and succeed.

Today, millions of citizens are exercising one of our most important rights – the right to vote. The outcome of this election season is still to be determined but a few things will remain. Your neighbors will still be your neighbors. Your co-workers will still be your co-workers. Your family will still be your family.

As Toledoans, we continue to do better here because we work in harmony, and we prosper when we’re united. Together, we’ll continue to live, work, play, grow, and shape our community no matter the results of this election season.

As members of this commission, we encourage you to vote! Exercise your right and play a role in our democracy. Voting is one piece of the puzzle, but we all know that real change is created locally. If you already have voted, we thank you for committing to your civil duty in representing our great city in the polling booth.

We’re looking forward to a peaceful election season and hope you all join us in our future endeavors to making Toledo the best place to live.

The Human Relations Commission endeavors to support a safe, energetic, and livable city. The commission supports residents working to overcome prejudice and build mutual respect. We believe all people are equal deserving equal treatment and respect.

Thus, we formally denounce the recent national events of violence and discrimination directed toward African Americans, which have led to widespread condemnation. There is no place for racism and hatred will not be tolerated, we stand strong against the forces which propagate and promote these acts.

We offer our sympathies for the senseless loss to the lives of George Floyd, Ahmuad Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many more before them and for the impact of these heinous images of discriminatory acts visible repeatedly in the media. The constant depictions of these incidences have a profound impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of the community. It is exhausting contributing to fear and anxiety, we hope for healing physically, mentally and emotionally for all.

As the Human Relations Commission, we will continue to work for the equal respect, dignity and rights that all are entitled. We encourage all to stand strongly for positive moral value and principles: contact elected officials, write letters, join inclusive, social justice groups and take a stand.

In the coming days we will be announcing ways to take a stand against injustice and play a role in moving our community forward in the right direction.