Ohio Revised Code General Provisions § 1.31

(1) Language is “gender neutral” if it does not expressly or implicitly refer to one sex to the real or apparent exclusion of the other and expressly or implicitly refers to both sexes without distinguishing between them.

(2) Language is “gender specific” if it expressly or implicitly refers to one sex to the real or apparent exclusion of the other or expressly or implicitly refers to both sexes and distinguishes between them.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, in enacting an act that replaces gender specific language with gender neutral language, it is the intent of the general assembly not to make substantive changes in the statutory law in effect on the date of that enactment by the replacement of the gender specific language with the gender neutral language.  The gender neutral language shall be construed as a restatement of, and substituted in a continuing way for, the corresponding statutory gender specific language existing on the date of enactment.

(2) In enacting an act with the stated purpose of making a substantive change in a statute by replacing gender specific language with gender neutral language, the rule of construction in division (B)(1) of this section does not apply.