Why I'm Still Having the Conversation

Two weeks ago, I cast my vote for Dr. Amy Acton for Governor of Ohio.

I did so with serious concerns about how her campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party have handled and continue to handle transgender issues. I have raised those concerns publicly and directly, and casting my vote did not make them disappear.

But what has happened this week has reinforced why I am comfortable with the decision I made and why I believe continuing to have direct conversations with Amy matters.

In my work as an addiction and mental health counselor, I see firsthand the damage abuse leaves behind. But for me, this isn't only professional. It is deeply personal.

I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I was eight years old. It was trauma I had to confront all over again during my own mental health journey in my forties.

I know the wreckage it leaves behind. I also know the damage done by people who enable abusers, minimize what they have done, or choose to stand beside them instead of the people they harmed.

That is why what happened this week hit a nerve with me.

Amy Acton has spoken publicly about surviving horrific sexual abuse when she was twelve years old. This week, her brother, Philip Stearns, released a statement describing what happened afterward: after Amy's abuser was arrested and the children were removed from the home, their estranged birth mother remained married to the man who raped her daughter until the day he died.

And that is the person Vivek Ramaswamy chose to elevate and give a platform to.

Weaponizing someone's childhood trauma is bad enough. Elevating an estranged parent who sided with the man who sexually abused her twelve-year-old daughter, simply because you think she can help you score a political point against that survivor, crosses one of those lines.

I have ZERO patience for it.

And none of this means I suddenly agree with Amy Acton on everything.

I still have serious concerns about how her campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party have handled transgender issues. I will continue demanding that Democratic candidates stand clearly, courageously, and consistently with transgender Ohioans.

Supporting a candidate does not mean surrendering your voice.

I can believe Amy Acton is the leader Ohio needs and still hold her accountable when she gets something wrong. I can sit across from her and demand better for my community while also defending her when an opponent crosses a line that should never be crossed.

Those things are not contradictory.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Amy directly. I walked away believing that continuing that conversation is worth the effort. Not because every concern disappeared, but because progress requires people to stay in the conversation, even when it's uncomfortable.

So yes, I criticized Amy Acton's campaign before I cast my ballot.

I voted for her anyway.

I will criticize her when criticism is warranted. I will support her when support is warranted. And when an opponent decides that partnering with the enabler of a child rapist is acceptable political strategy, I will call that out too.

Those aren't contradictions.

That's what it looks like to have principles that don't change depending on whose name is on the ballot.