Equality Ohio changes LGBTQ+ grade for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton from ‘Pending’ to ‘B’

This story originally appeared on The Buckeye Flame.Ohio LGBTQ+ advocacy and legal aid organization Equality Ohio has again changed its grade of Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton: This time from “Pending” to “B” on its 2026 Candidate Scorecard.The “F” grade of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Acton’s opponent, remains unchanged on the scorecard, indicating that he has a “poor record and likely to harm LGBTQ+ civil rights.” Libertarian candidate Don Kissick is not rated.Equality Ohio changed Acton’s grade from “A” to “Pending” on July 28, following anti-transgender comments that Acton made to the Toledo Blade on June 30 regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold state bans on transgender athletes.“I do not support boys playing in girls sports. This is already settled law in Ohio, and as governor I will enforce and uphold the law,” Acton said. “As a doctor, public servant, and a mom, I will always stand up for fairness and protect kids’ health and safety.”In changing her grade to pending, Equality Ohio said in a statement, “Should Dr. Acton choose to take meaningful steps forward, we will update the status accordingly.”The scorecard was changed online on Thursday. That revision occurred before the Sunday incident at the Canfield Fair, where an armed man forced his way through a crowd toward Acton, knocking down multiple people before members of her Ohio State Highway Patrol security detail stopped him. Acton was unharmed. The man, who authorities said was carrying two pistols, a Taser and brass knuckles but did not brandish them, has pleaded not guilty to charges including assault, disorderly conduct and inducing panic. Authorities were continuing to investigate his intent, the Associated Press reports.Accompanying the new “B” rating was the explanation: “Following a remark on June 30, 2026, her grade changed from “A” to “B”, reflecting unresolved concerns about support for tran