CLEVELAND — Two bills at the Statehouse would directly impact the LGBTQ+ community in Ohio.

One of the bills are requiring schools to notify parents regarding classroom conversations about gender identity or sexual orientation. It also forces teachers to tell parents if they know a student is questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation. 

The other piece of legislation could make it illegal for transgender minors to take puberty blockers, or hormones. 

Astrid Burkle is a lesbian transgender and uses the pronouns "they, and she." They were in preschool when they knew they didn't align with their gender.

In second grade, Astrid found a way to express how they were feeling by reading certain materials and hearing short stories. 

"There is this short on YouTube, like a short story thing," Astrid said, "and it's like the description says this kid meets the love of his life and his heart is trying to chase the love of his life. It's a boy who is in love with the boy. I was in second grade, and we were learning about inferring and my inference was that he was gay and he liked that person." 

Astrid’s mom, Alicia Burkle, told Spectrum News she is concerned about how the two statehouse bills could impact Astrid.

"I've never seen Astrid happier than when she was allowed to live as her true self," Alicia said. "We see pictures side by side of Astrid living before and after her transition, and it is like night and day." 

Alicia said these bills could potentially harm Astrid's physical and mental health. Alicia hopes that lawmakers will see Astrid's story and understand this could impact their health care and cause division amongst Ohioans. 

"I can't help but wonder if all of it wasn't just her internalizing all of her anxiety and nervousness," Alicia said, "and not knowing how to tell us how she was feeling and then she found a way to tell us and then she was able to be who she really was." 

Astrid wants people to know that they are any ordinary kid. They love drawing, eating ice cream and playing. Astrid's goal is for people to hopefully accept who they are. 

"I want people to realize I'm here and you are trying to invalidate my existence," Alicia said, "but you're literally looking me in the face." 

The bills are expected to be voted on this week on the House floor. Should the bill become law, doctors who violate it could lose their licenses to practice. Transgender children currently undergoing hormone therapies would have to stop treatment or leave the state.

Those who support the ban say it’s important to put off treatments and surgeries until legal adulthood because children under 18 cannot provide “informed consent.”

But parents of transgender children who have testified against the bill say it’s none of the legislature’s business and that medical decisions for transgender children should be left up to their families and doctors.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.