Former Vice President Mike Pence addresses Ohio’s most prominent conservatives at a recent gala at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, hosted by the religious group Center for Christian Virtue. .
Tickets for Pence’s speech range from $1,500 to $25,000 for an “exclusive pre-VIP roundtable with keynote speakers,” and a Q&A with Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer on Religion, President Trump. It was a lively atmosphere, with topics such as the inauguration of women and abortions being taken up. right.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments of the Trump-Pence administration,” Pence said. “It didn’t end well.”
Mr Pence has previously called it a “privilege” to “become vice president of the administration that appointed three of the judges who overturned Roe v. Wade.”
Warm feelings towards the speaker were not shared by all event attendees. Joseph Trauss Jr. is Vice Chairman of the Center for Christian Virtue and Senior Partner of Cincinnati law firm Keating, Mushing & Klekamp. When asked about Mr. Pence, Mr. Trauss was reluctant.
“He’s just a public speaker,” Mr. Trauss said, and neither he nor his wife, Barbara, said openly about endorsing him.
“It depends on the other candidates,” Joseph and Barbara answered together, without further elaboration.
Both said their main reason for supporting CCV was their emphasis on family values.
“We support all family issues,” said Joseph Trauss, citing “anti-abortion” and “equal treatment of women” as examples.
Similarly, pastor and businessman Benjamin Nuwankwo similarly endorsed the CCV belief system.
“I believe God,” said Nwankwo, who also praised CCV’s influence in the Ohio legislature. “Policies shape society.”
CCV is one of Ohio’s most influential lobbying groups and has advocated for legislation that reflects “gospel truth.”
In practice, this means supporting laws that restrict access to abortion, regulate voting methods and the LGBTQ community. House Bill 68House Bill 6, which seeks to limit gender-affirming care, and House Bill 6, which seeks to ban transathletes from participating in sports related to their gender identity.
CCV lobbyist Nilani Jawahar testified in support of HB 6.
“What we are seeing now is the product of a society that does not accept gender differences,” Jawahar wrote in HB 6’s testimony. “We are promoting individuality, but our actions promote conformity.”
CCV’s involvement in legislation goes far beyond advocacy. report Indicating that legislation such as House Bill 454 (Prohibition of Gender-Affirmative Care for Transgender Youth) was CCV’s initiative, Jawahar emailed Rep. is an important piece of legislation that will be introduced soon.”
Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, the proponent of the “dividing concept” bill HB 327, presented the draft bill to CCV lobbyists, writing in an email: feedback. “
CCVs The bill also involved Washington, D.C. think tanks such as the U.S. Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Heritage Foundation in the state’s legislative process, drawing on advice from both parties, also known as the “Backpack Bill.” Revises HB 290.
Longtime supporter Jay Collins CCVsmentioned their talent when discussing their admiration for the group.
Not everyone in Ohio agrees with CCV’s values or admires CCV’s policy positions. Outside the Duke Energy Convention Center, a handful of demonstrators made their names chanting “No Pence, No KKK, No Fascist USA” as guests arrived and the night’s festivities began.
Waving placards, the group stood behind a windowpane where Mr. Pence was conducting an interview with NBC News, until convention center security and law enforcement stood between the glass and the organizers. Most of the rally attendees were members of Cincinnati socialist groups, including the DSA Metro Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati Socialists, and the University of Cincinnati American Youth Democratic Socialists.
For them, the future envisioned by organizations like CCV is a very dangerous one, infused with religious tenets and government policies.
Ray Hicks, a transgender, bisexual computer science major and member of the University of California YDSA, said attending the rally was inevitable.
Hicks said he believes policies supported by the CCV “could kill people” by “restricting access to health care,” particularly transgender rights and access to abortion. rice field.
research done by UCLA Law School Williams Institute The researchers found that those who underwent surgery or hormonal therapy “had a lower prevalence of suicide attempts in the past year than those who did not receive the care they needed (5% vs. 9%).” I discovered.
By comparison, “the overall mortality rate for women of reproductive age (ages 15 to 44) in states with restricted abortion was 34 percent higher than in states where abortion was permitted,” the association said. In a survey conducted by commonwealth fund found.
Ethan Osborne comes from a different background. Osborne, 40, is a wilderness firefighter who describes himself as “since becoming an activist in the late ’90s when he was a teenager in high school, he’s been fighting for the working class.”
Mr. Osborne denounced the CCV, calling them “priesthood holders” and fanatics. “They’re pure idealism, they’re pure fantasy. They’re sheer superstition.”
Sean Howard, pastor of the Chillicothe First God Council and member of the Joseph Council of the CCV, claimed that he and his colleagues’ positions were misunderstood.
“I think it’s easy to live in the world of soundbites,” said Howard. “I don’t think we’re as different as we think we are. We’re more alike than different.”
Pence concluded the question-and-answer session as part of the event with a message for attendees.
“I’ll stop at the beginning,” Pence said. “I encourage you to just pray.”
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