NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2026 Westerville, OH - Today, Trans Day of Visibility, one Ohio lawmaker introduced House Bill 798. The timing was not an accident. It was a statement. And we're making one too. HB798 is a sweeping assault on the dignity, safety, and legal existence of Transgender and Nonbinary Ohioans. The bill would ban Trans people from using bathrooms, changing rooms, and overnight accommodations that match who they are. It would strip the ability to update

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2026 Contact: Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, Executive Director, LOVEboldly - bhuelskamp@loveboldly.org LOVEboldly Condemns Supreme Court Ruling Undermining Protections for LGBTQIA+ Youth Westerville, OH - Today, the United States Supreme Court dealt a devastating blow to LGBTQIA+ children and teenagers across this country, ruling 8-1 to strike down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors. We at LOVEboldly are heartbroken and we are not silen

Chair Thomas, Vice Chair Swearingen, Ranking Member Synenberg, and Members of the House Judiciary Committee:   Thank you for the opportunity to testify in opposition to House Bill 249. My name is the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, and I serve as the Executive Director of LOVEboldly, an Ohio faith-based nonprofit working to create spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can flourish in Christianity. I also serve as the pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus, a small, progressive Christian congrega

TLDR - Ohio House Bill 249 (HB249), the Drag Ban, is up for opponent testimony on Wednesday, March 18, before the House Judiciary Committee. We need people to testify against the bill both in person and in writing. For instructions on how to testify see the bottom of this message. HB249 - What is it? HB249 is a near-complete ban on the artistic expression known as drag. Under the bill drag would only be allowed in age-restricted “adult cabarets.” However, the bill is vague an

Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, LOVEboldly's Executive Director, was unable to testify in person today against HB531 (the School Chaplain Bill). He submitted written testimony instead. Introduction Chair Fowler-Arthur, Vice Chair Odioso, Ranking Member Brennan, and members of the House Education Committee:   Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony in opposition to House Bill 531 (HB531), the School Chaplains Act. My name is the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, and I serve as

TLDR - Ohio House Bill 531 (HB531) , the Chaplains in Schools Bill, is up for opponent testimony before the House Education Committee on Tuesday, March 10, at 2:15pm. We need people to testify against the bill in-person. For instructions on how to testify see the bottom of this message. HB531 - What is it? HB531 would permit school districts to adopt and implement policy by which volunteer religious chaplains could offer “spiritual programming, support, and counseling” to stu

From our partners at Equality Ohio. Parental Right to Harm Bill (HB 693) Earlier this week,  State Reps. Josh Williams  and  Gary Click  introduced  House Bill 693 , the so-called “Affirming Families First Act”, which is a new and terrible effort to embed harmful anti-LGBTQ+ ideology into Ohio family law.  This bill is broad and complicated, and it uses confusing new terminology throughout. While we’re used to the word “affirm” in the context of gender-affirming care and supp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     February 12, 2026   Contact:  Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, Executive Director, LOVEboldly – admin@loveboldly.org     LOVEboldly Denounces HB693 as a Dangerous Attack on LGBTQIA+ Youth   Westerville, OH  – On February 10, a misguided and Queerphobic group of state legislators introduced a bill which would legalize the abuse of LGBTQIA+ children and overturn the significant work of Ohio communities that have banned the pseudoscientific practice of conversio

A Message from the LOVEboldly Board Dear Friends, You’ve heard a lot from Ben about the struggles LOVEboldly has had with fundraising, but it’s important you hear from us too. Simply put, there’s a dynamic here which we know Ben would never discuss publicly, yet it needs to be said. In the current climate of our country we have found it incredibly difficult to find funds to not only uplift the resources that you have all come to know and love, but to continue to support our E

Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Dear Friends, It’s Giving Tuesday, and I’m writing to you first thing this morning because this matters to me more than I can fully express. I’ve recorded a video for you. In it, I talk about what LOVEboldly means to me—not just as Executive Director, but as a Queer person of faith who grew up in the church, who knows what it’s like to wonder if God could really love someone like me. And this is my dream job. This work—creating spaces where LGBTQIA+

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Chair Schmidt, Vice Chair Deeter, Ranking Member Somani, and members of the Ohio House Health Committee:   My name is the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, and I serve as Executive Director of LOVEboldly, an Ohio faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can flourish in Christianity and beyond. I also serve as Pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus, a progressive Christian congregation in Columbus. I submit this test

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Chair Brenner, Vice Chair Blessing, Ranking Member Ingram, and members of the Senate Education Committee:   My name is the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp. I serve as Executive Director of LOVEboldly, an Ohio faith-based organization working to create spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can flourish in Christianity and beyond, and as Pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus, a progressive Christian congregation. I submit this testimony in opposition to Substitute Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 11, 2025 LOVEboldly is happy to announce that Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) has officially joined the LOVEboldly Church Partner Program. LOVEboldly's Executive Director, the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, said, "The partnership between Holy Trinity and LOVEboldly has been in the works since Summer 2024 and our collaboration together has already featured supporting Holy Trinity's writing of their affirming statement and Holy Trinity's pastor, th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 10, 2025 - Westerville, OH Today, the United States Supreme Court rejected a challenge to its landmark 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges , which established marriage equality as the law of the land. While this decision provides a measure of reassurance that same-gender couples' right to marry remains protected at the federal level, LOVEboldly is not celebrating. We cannot celebrate when LGBTQIA+ people, particularly Transgender and nonbinar

Chair Fowler-Arthur, Vice Chair Odioso, Ranking Member Brennan, and Members of the Committee:   My name is the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp. I serve as Executive Director of LOVEboldly and Pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus. LOVEboldly is an Ohio, faith-based nonprofit working to create spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can flourish in Christianity and Blue Ocean Faith Columbus is a progressive Christian congregation. I’m submitting this testimony in my roles as a Christian pastor and

Testimony submitted to the Ohio House Education Committee by the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp. Strong Support for House Bill 415 – The CROWN Act   Chair Fowler Arthur, Vice Chair Odioso, Ranking Member Brennan, and Members of the House Education Committee:   Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony in strong support of House Bill 415, the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. This legislation represents a crucial step toward dismantling discrim

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 10, 2025 - Westerville, OH LOVEboldly is horrified by the tragic death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley...

Friday, September 5, 2025 Dear Friends, We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 that “ We are afflicted in every way but not crushed,...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 22, 2025 WESTERVILLE, OH - LOVEboldly acknowledges the passing of Dr. James Dobson, Jr., on August 21,...

We have exciting news about plans to rekindle and expand LOVEboldly’s mission in the Cincinnati area! We want to invite you to join us...