At a 2024 “Faith Wins” event at Columbus Christian Center, a church in Columbus, Ohio, a young Hindu entrepreneur was explaining to the crowd of Christians how to pronounce his name. “Vivek rhymes with cake,” shared Vivek Ramaswamy.
For onlookers, it may have been surprising to see a Christian conservative crowd responding so enthusiastically to a leader of a different faith. But Vivek was speaking directly to the concerns and hopes of the Christians in attendance. His speech reached its height when he declared boldly “there are only two genders!”
Ten years ago, a statement like this would have seemed needless to say, and certainly would not have been an applause line at a rally. It was just common sense. Yet over the last decade, common sense has become controversial —or even a cancellable offense —especially among America’s academic and media elite.
This is why the Christians in attendance with us at the rally that night were so warmly receiving Vivek. While we may not share the same faith, it was inspiring to see a leader who has been so successful at the highest levels of corporate America speak so clearly. Vivek wasn’t afraid of attacks from the press. He recognized we have a country to save, and the only course forward was speaking the truth clearly and boldly.
Since stepping on the national stage in 2021 with his first book, “Woke Inc” on how corporate America has been hijacked by woke forces, Vivek has been a fearless voice. His book was one of the first of its kind exposing the true harm and pervasiveness of the woke mind virus.
In Ohio, fighting these powerful woke forces has been an uphill battle. In December 2023, after years of fighting against the powerful children’s hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that were profiting off the sterilization of children, the Ohio General Assembly passed HB68 known as the SAFE – Saving Adolescents from Experimentation – Act.
This bill prohibited sex change procedures on minors and banned men from playing in women’s sports. Yet even after the bill passed, the fight wasn’t over, because Republican Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed the bill. Vivek joined the chorus of Christian activists calling for an override, and in January 2024 the Ohio General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto on this commonsense bill.
It’s important to understand why passing this legislation was such a battle, because it reveals the type of leader we need in America today. For as obvious as it is to most Americans that no child is “born in the wrong body” and boys should not play in girls sports, there are some children who are truly struggling with depression. Their “gender dysphoria” they’re experiencing —or the feeling that their biological reality doesn’t align with their emotional expression of sex – is deeply felt.
What studies have consistently revealed is that indulging their dysphoria actually does not help these children long term, and actually increases their odds of suicidality.
But winning this battle required that we not just get the votes to pass the law, but speak compassionately about the issue, and explain why the woke pharmaceutical companies profiting off the dangerous puberty blockers or hormone therapies were actually harming the very kids they were claiming to help.
This is the nature of the battles we’re being forced to fight today, and it’s why we need leaders who have shown they are not just willing to stand courageously, but can stand before any crowd and explain the common sense that’s at the heart of the conservative movement.
And it’s why we proudly endorse Vivek Ramaswamy as the next governor of the state of Ohio. We need a new generation of leadership in our states. One that’s not just right on the issues, but one who can communicate clearly and compassionately to reunite Americans of all faiths, or no faith even.
Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed Vivek handle countless controversial issues with similar grace and clarity. There’s not a question he’s afraid to take, and not an American he’s not willing to sit down to talk to.
During the 2024 presidential election, when it was exposed that the Biden administration had brought more than 20,000 Haitian immigrants to the small town of Springfield, Ohio, media outlets across the country were flying in to try to write sensational stories.
Yet Vivek responded by holding a townhall in Springfield, to give the residents an outlet to speak out about the real-life consequences of Biden’s harmful immigration problem. “These policies callously used these migrants as political pawns to sow division by transporting them to a community everyone knew was unprepared to handle them,” Vivek said. “It’s sad to see this happening just one hour from where I live, but the first step to reuniting America starts with open dialogue.”
Vivek has spoken to the issue of people with gender dysphoria serving in the military with similar courage and compassion. He’s been clear that they should NOT serve in combat roles, but rather, if able, transgender individuals could be given jobs as appropriate where they can be productive but far away from any military combat roles.
Winning the battles ahead requires this kind of clarity, and it’s why Vivek will be a transformational governor, leading the way for the nation.
Republican Ohio state Rep. Gary Click is the primary sponsor of HB68 Ohio’s SAFE Act
Republican Ohio state Sen. Sena Kristina Roegner chaired the Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee which passed HB68 in the state Senate.
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