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Ben Jodway

@bjodway.com
1.7K followers 290 following 120 posts

Rural LGBTQ+ reporter and TTRPG fanatic. Currently reporting for @thebuckeyeflame.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social, and desperately trying to find a new D&D group. If you want to reach out confidentially, text me on Signal @benjodway.25

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Reposted by Ben Jodway
Aftermath @aftermath.site · 09/09/2026
Aftermath is a website that only exists because of paid reader subscriptions, so if you enjoy the work we do please consider supporting us directly. We have big plans! Your support can help us get there! aftermath.site/aftermath-subs...
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 04/09/2026
Equality Ohio changes grade for Amy Acton from ‘Pending’ to ‘B’ Equality Ohio had changed Acton’s grade from ‘A’ to ‘Pending’ on July 28, following what they called ‘harmful remarks related to transgender people.’ thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/09/04/e...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Equality Ohio changes grade for Amy Acton from ‘Pending’ to ‘B’
Equality Ohio had changed Acton’s grade from 'A' to 'Pending' on July 28, following what they called 'harmful remarks related to transgender people.'
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/09/2026
and the final sticking point i'll mention is how Claude-y this website looks. i don't want to claim that this whole index is AI-generated, but the website appears to be, which sucks. i'm all for having a replacement for the Campus Pride Index, but this doesn't seem to be a reliable one by far
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/09/2026
i'm all for walkable cities! but afaik most Oberlin students, if they do go out, go to Cleveland? and i've not spent a lot of time in Oberlin, but I'd be SHOCKED if there was absolutely zero LGBTQ-friendly establishments in the city! (and does "venues" mean bars/clubs or biz? who knows!)
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/09/2026
OSU places 51 on the national list out of ~1700. Oberlin College - the butt of jokes for having so many queer students - places 288. why? there are apparently zero LGBTQ+ venues listed on OpenStreetMap within 2-10 miles
A screenshot of Erobella LGBTQ+ College Index showing Oberlin College's scorecard. The scorecard lists 0 LGBTQ+ venues via OpenStreetMap, highlighted in a red circle.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/09/2026
for one, it seems like a lot of the data is coming from other sources, many of which are from 2024 and 2025. this might seem recent, but it's an inaccurate snapshot of Ohio right now. for example, we wrote about how Ohio State doesn't have an LGBTQ+ center anymore. yet Erobella says it does!
A screenshot from Erobella's LGBTQ+ College Index's score for Ohio State University. The score lists a "Staffed LGBTQ+ Center," which isn't true anymore.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/09/2026
i'm seeing some universities promote a replacement for the Campus Pride Index called the LGBTQ+ College Index from Erobella, a German adult advertising platform that published the Sex Worker Wellbeing Survey. sounds like a great idea! but I kept finding issues with the data - Ohio's particularly.
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 02/09/2026
Yearly Ohio retreat treats Black transmascs to new experiences and ‘that brotherhood moment’ WARR provides a nearly-free 4-day getaway for Black trans men across Ohio. ✏️ @bjodway.com thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/09/02/b...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Yearly Ohio retreat treats Black transmascs to new experiences and ‘that brotherhood moment’
Black Trans Men of Ohio's WARR provides a nearly-free 4-day experience for Black transmasculine attendees across Ohio.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 27/08/2026
Do we have to
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
Rascal News @rascal.news · 14/08/2026
Defy the Gods by @hecticelectron.bsky.social proclaims itself to be a game of "Queer Sword & Sorcery." A strong Epithet that naturally invites the question: what makes a game "queer?" @lincodega.com does a close read of the text, parsing queer structures that encourage explicitly queer play.
rascal.news
Queer games require queer structures
Defy the Gods makes good on its own epithet of “Queer Sword & Sorcery.”
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 13/08/2026
Ohio council member encourages residents to surveil local Pride celebration. Lebanon Pride’s organizers say the official’s Facebook post could ‘jeopardize’ attendees’ ability to ‘feel very safe and welcome.' ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/08/11/l...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Ohio council member encourages residents to surveil local Pride celebration
Lebanon Pride’s organizers say the official’s Facebook post could ‘jeopardize’ attendees’ ability to ‘feel very safe and welcome.'
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
Pixie Casey @pixiecasey.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
in insane local news, the 26 year old director of a rocky horror production was arrested for sending threatening messages to himself in order to get the play shut down bc he didn’t want to deal with cast drama www.mynbc5.com/article/rock...
mynbc5.com
VT musical director of planned 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' created fake threats, police say
The director of a planned production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" admitted to sending himself threatening texts that eventually got the play canceled out of safety concerns.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/08/2026
Great article from @oriion.bsky.social with @19thnews.org that honed in on the wider implications of the CDC "rerouting" funds away from community health groups to state governments.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 04/08/2026
there ya have it
A screenshot of Cleveland's WNBA team on Twitter announcing their name: the Cleveland Sirens.
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 31/07/2026
THIS! - First-time Prides in Ohio saw their hometowns in a new kaleidoscope of colors this year. ‘We opened up a safe space for at least one person to attend.’ ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/07/31/f... #LGBTQ #Ohio #Pride #LGBTQPride #PrideMonth
thebuckeyeflame.com
First-time Prides in Ohio saw their hometowns in a new kaleidoscope of colors this year
‘We opened up a safe space for at least one person to attend.’
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 30/07/2026
could be at the bottom of the story if your browser doesn't crash, and you pay for a subscription (better hope the headline and first graf is accurate!). could also be the special author tag "Advance Local Express Desk," which is meaningless and obscures how much AI is actually used in an article.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 30/07/2026
man it's so cool how Cleveland's "newspaper of record" is going all-in on AI. it's extra cool how their AI disclosure is so inconsistent and hidden behind meaningless terms, so the average reader can't even figure out how much AI is used!
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 29/07/2026
Lima residents, council members speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ billboards on the street and in city hall on Monday. Around 40 people attended a rally to protest against the billboards attacking nontraditional parents. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social.
thebuckeyeflame.com
Lima residents, council members speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ billboards on the street and in city hall
Around 40 people attended a rally to protest against the billboards attacking nontraditional parents.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 27/07/2026
to clarify, I was assuming he used AI given his background and the article's writing style. he has never admitted it afaik. nonetheless, thank you for spreading the word!!
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 23/07/2026
Anti-LGBTQ+ billboards pop up in rural Ohio. Communities are immediately pushing back. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/07/23/o...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Anti-LGBTQ+ billboards pop up in rural Ohio. Communities are immediately pushing back.
‘These billboards don’t just attack LGBTQ+ families, they erase every Ohio kid whose home doesn’t fit a narrow, manufactured mold.’
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 21/07/2026
Ohio middle school teacher launches effort to protect LGBTQ+ public school students from harmful laws and policies. Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education wants to activate communities to help stop ‘efforts to dismantle public education.' ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social
thebuckeyeflame.com
Ohio middle school teacher launches effort to protect LGBTQ+ public school students from harmful laws and policies
Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education wants to activate communities to help stop "efforts to dismantle public education."
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 17/07/2026
sadly i don't think any article will include this gem from the board president's deposition
A screenshot from Little Miami Board President David Wallace's deposition. It reads:

"Q: (Plaintiff's Lawyer) Okay. Are you aware of any case or statute or anything that uses this reasonable observer standard?
A: (Wallace) I'm by no means a law expert, Josh. I -- I would not be able to begin to -- to cite law. But give me about five minutes, let me get on ChatGPT, and I'll find something for you.
Q: Well, no, no, no. We definitely don't want to do that."
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 17/07/2026
this isn't going to be the only story to come out of these depositions
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 16/07/2026
Amy Acton adds LGBTQ+ equality language to campaign platform following anti-transgender controversy. "All Ohioans deserve to be treated fairly and equally under the law. As governor, I am committed to standing up against discrimination and ensuring that every Ohioan."
thebuckeyeflame.com
Amy Acton adds LGBTQ+ equality language to campaign platform following anti-transgender controversy
‘All Ohioans deserve to be treated fairly and equally under the law. As governor, I am committed to standing up against discrimination and ensuring that every Ohioan’
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 16/07/2026
bill bagel
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 13/07/2026
A screenshot from a Statehouse News Bureau article. It reads:

After decades of statewide losses, Ohio Democrats are about to get a big boost. The Democratic National Committee plans to make a record investment in Ohio ahead of the 2026 midterms, when voters will decide races for the U.S. Senate, governor and other statewide offices.

DNC national political director Shelby Wiltz said her organization will be giving an unspecified infusion of cash to the Ohio Democratic Party.

“I can’t give you a specific number but I can tell you it’s six figures, and that this is the most money we have ever invested in an off-year election cycle," Wiltz said in an interview.
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 09/07/2026
PROGRESS! - Lorain, Ohio unanimously passes resolution supporting LGBTQ+ civil rights. An LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination ordinance could be hot on the resolution’s heels. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/07/09/l...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Lorain, Ohio unanimously passes resolution supporting LGBTQ+ civil rights
An LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination ordinance could be hot on the resolution’s heels.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 09/07/2026
important context for this discussion
A screenshot from a video showing white nationalists with truly terrible swamp ass showing through their khakis
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 01/07/2026
Ohio factory supervisor Aaron Jones is running to unseat anti-LGBTQ+ legislator Gary Click. When asked about his LGBTQ+ platform, Jones said he’s ‘running for everyone’ ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/07/01/a...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Ohio factory supervisor Aaron Jones is running to unseat anti-LGBTQ+ legislator Gary Click. Here’s what he told us.
When asked about his LGBTQ+ platform, Jones said he’s ‘running for everyone.'
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 29/06/2026
New Ohio LGBTQ+ org offers free gender-affirming clothing and community. The Rainbow Society of Medina County’s MoE’s Closet opened last January and has already helped its queer neighbors. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social. thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/06/29/m...
thebuckeyeflame.com
New Ohio LGBTQ+ org offers free gender-affirming clothing and community
The Rainbow Society of Medina County's MoE's Closet opened last January and has already helped its queer neighbors.
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Chris Bratt @chrisbratt.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
People Make Games traveled to Michigan to meet Jerry Gretzinger, an 84-year-old man, who's spent most of his life working away on a single, giant map to an imaginary world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is8N...
youtube.com
The Man Who's Spent a Lifetime Making One, Giant Map
YouTube video by People Make Games
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 15/06/2026
extremely excited to watch this video! Hope y'all enjoyed my home state of Michigan!
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The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 12/06/2026
SO NEEDED! - How one LGBTQ+ organization is rebranding to connect and support rural Prides across Ohio. SPARC wants rural Prides to have the resources and support of urban Prides. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/06/12/s...
thebuckeyeflame.com
How one LGBTQ+ organization is rebranding to connect and support rural Prides across Ohio
Newark Ohio Pride Coalition rebranded to SPARC to help rural Prides get started and persist.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 09/06/2026
why does the mayor of cleveland have a substack
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Minnesota has unfortunately been the site had some of the most consequential news events of the last year, and the journalists at the MN Star Tribune stepped up enormously, even taking home a Pulitzer. Now they're about to go through another painful round of cuts. www.startribune.com/minnesota-st...
startribune.com
Minnesota Star Tribune cuts jobs and pursues nonprofit ownership structure
The decision to cut 65 jobs underscores the news industry’s ongoing challenges.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
danah boyd recently argued that social media (as we knew it) is mostly dead; what we have now is parasocial media: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... I agree. Networked social media is disappearing, replaced by a new logic/structure of content creator, creator-centered community, & algorithm.
journals.sagepub.com
Social Media Is Now Parasocial Media - danah boyd, 2026
When practitioners used the term “social media” to describe the internet tools that emerged in the mid-aughts, they were giving a name to the kinds of platforms...
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 27/05/2026
The awesome @rascal.news published an interview with the designer @hecticelectron.bsky.social last year, diving into the game itself a little more than my article did. Give it a read if you're a TTRPG sicko like I am
rascal.news
Defy the Gods’ creator wants a game "intensely full of life”
Queering sword and sorcery in a mythic Bronze Age.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 27/05/2026
So glad I got to write about nerd shit again! This TTRPG honestly sounds rad as hell and I LOVE the art
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Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 27/05/2026
I'm a journalist and at times an opinion writer so I get part of this message isn’t for me, but what I actually don’t like about Bluesky is that I can only get value out of it for work — a fraction of my offline friends/social scene (esp those in their 20s) are on here; they used to go on Twitter
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Mississippi Free Press @mississippifreepress.org · 25/05/2026
“A lot of people talk down on Jackson, and they don’t think that we have a lot going on here," Duling Hall Box Office Manager Haley McWhorter said. "For someone of her size to look at Jackson and view it as like a place that she could go and share her music, yeah, it was cool."
buff.ly
Phoebe Bridgers Surprises Jackson Fans With Pop-Up Show Using Only Analog Advertising
Music artist Phoebe Bridgers stopped in Jackson for a surprise concert at Duling Hall that she advertised using only posters to ensure local fans could attend.
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
I wrote about being inundated with AI writing at every turn, unwittingly turning my brain into the AI police, and how shitty AI writing is randomly showing up in my real life outside of the internet www.404media.co/your-ai-use-...
404media.co
Your AI Use Is Breaking My Brain
AI writing is impossible to avoid, is making everything sound the same, and is driving us crazy.
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 08/05/2026
Rural Ohio LGBTQ+ org to celebrate 5th annual Pride despite their lawmaker spearheading hate. Seneca Proud has brought together Seneca County’s queer community for five years and counting. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/05/08/s...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Rural Ohio LGBTQ+ org to celebrate 5th annual Pride despite their lawmaker spearheading hate
Seneca Proud has brought together Seneca County’s queer community for five years and counting.
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Lauren Chapman @laurenechapman.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
You know how sometimes you're really excited to *do* something and then forget to tell anyone? ✨I'm now the California Politics Editor for The Sacramento Bee.✨ Hear @thebuckeyeflame.com's @kenschneck.bsky.social say nice things before we geek out (and I talk baseball). pca.st/episode/51e8...
pca.st
Uncovering Stories on Pride Flag Burnings, Mpox and Queer Crime Solving
Rainbow flags – they can fly proudly, but they apparently can get banned from coffee shops or burned to the ground. We’re covering the latest drama around rainbow flag displays this week. Also, Mpox…
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Reposted by Ben Jodway
The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 05/05/2026
LOVE TO SEE IT! - After growing up there without a safe space, a trans man creates his rural Ohio county’s first Pride. The 24-year-old hopes to bring a sense of community to his home in Adams County. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/05/05/a...
thebuckeyeflame.com
After growing up there without a safe space, a trans man creates his rural Ohio county’s first Pride
The 24-year-old hopes to bring a sense of community to his home in Adams County.
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Niko Stratis @nikostratis.com · 01/05/2026
We are rapidly losing the outlets where new writers can learn to shape a voice, where they can cultivate skills beyond quick news hits and PR with the guidance and mentorship of strong editors and the benefit of a trusted name, and it’s such a loss for writers and readers alike.
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 30/04/2026
i hope @chiitan.love enjoyed this week's This News is So Gay episode, much love chiitan
A screenshot of this user's notifications. Chiitan, the pro-LGBTQ+ Japanese mascot, liked the user's post about their appearance on a new episode of a podcast, This News is So Gay.
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Divya Karthikeyan @divyakrthk.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
so glad to be on @thebuckeyeflame.com’s The News is so Gay pod with the great @kenschneck.bsky.social and badass reporter @bjodway.com talking KY legislative session (shoutout to @oliviakrauth.bsky.social), the wild political story out of Ohio, and the personal joys of queering flamenco singing.
thebuckeyeflame.com
This News is So Gay (4/29/26): Dissecting the Tale of Two Wildly Different State Legislatures
Featuring: Ben Jodway (The Buckeye Flame) and Divya Karthikeyan (Queer Kentucky).
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Ben Jodway @bjodway.com · 29/04/2026
I was on this week's episode of This News is So Gay to talk about how jealous I am of Kentucky's four-month legislative sessions and how I found a certain Ohio school board member's pro-Nazi social media posts. Surprisingly, I didn't swear at all in this one. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
thebuckeyeflame.com
This News is So Gay (4/29/26): Dissecting the Tale of Two Wildly Different State Legislatures
Featuring: Ben Jodway (The Buckeye Flame) and Divya Karthikeyan (Queer Kentucky).
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The Buckeye Flame @thebuckeyeflame.com · 27/04/2026
Ohio cities, county review conversion therapy bans after SCOTUS ruling. Columbus, Cincinnati and Cuyahoga County spokespeople say they are ensuring their ordinances are still enforceable. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/04/27/o...
thebuckeyeflame.com
Ohio cities, county review conversion therapy bans after SCOTUS ruling
Columbus, Cincinnati and Cuyahoga County spokespeople say they are ensuring their ordinances are still enforceable.
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