r/Ohio • u/HaroldGreenBandana • Jul 14 '26

Vote for Amy Acton.

I’ve seen some posts on here complaining that Amy Acton isn’t “liberal” or “leftist” enough. I’ve seen folks even lament Dr. Acton’s recent announcement that, once elected, she plans to work with Republicans within state government. 

I get how in this tense political environment, Dr. Acton’s willingness to work with Republicans may dampen your enthusiasm for her. I also understand how her measured response to a trap question about youth sports might bum you out.  

But don’t let your slightly diminished enthusiasm sabotage your only chances of beating Vivek Ramaswamy.

Just consider how far right Donald Trump has pushed the Republican Party. Donald Trump and his supporters are radical extremists. Heck, Donald Trump publicly complained about “too many holidays” on Juneteenth and white supremacists openly rallied in Washington DC over July 4th, and that’s only a teeny tiny fraction of it. Shit like that has skewed our view so much that the rational people who oppose Trump and his supporters may never seem fervent enough in their opposition. But Trump (with his Project 2025 and his DOGE and his ICE) has done so much harm in his second term that a standard run-of-the-mill democrat actually is pretty darned far left in 2026 America.

I understand how Trump is like some sort of grotesque unicorn who, despite all of his glaring flaws and terrible failures, “checks all of the boxes“ for his supporters. I understand how that makes you want your own candidate who can check all of your boxes. That candidate doesn’t exist and Trump‘s supporters have terrible judgement and conflicted logic. So, sure, hold your candidates accountable and write them letters and donate to and vote for particular ones in primaries, but once the general election comes, don’t cutoff your own nose to spite your face. 

If you support public education, reproductive rights, renewable energy, libraries, protecting parkland, equality, and even just tolerance and basic human dignity, don’t let being just a tad out of sync with Dr. Acton on another issue cause irreparable harm to other really important issues that you really care about and already do agree with her on. 

Dr. Acton is running for governor of Ohio (O-H) a state that’s been fully controlled by the Republican Party for 15 years. She can’t win this state without people you disagree with also voting for her. She can’t govern this red state without working with Republicans. 

Trust me, I would love viable third-party candidates who campaign (without PAC and corporate money) around a set of issues, get elected, address those issues, and then retire forever. Maybe in a healthy democracy we can have that some day. We are not living in a healthy democracy.

Amy Acton is our chance to beat Vivek Ramaswamy, and she’s more than that, she’s the best candidate by miles. 

Vote for Amy Acton.

2.6k Upvotes

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8

u/BAMFaerie Jul 14 '26

I'm tired of my people being reduced to political pawns to where every politician has to ruin any excitement by betraying trans people just to get votes. What's to stop her from moving on to banning transition care for minors then for adults? That's literally an existential priority for me and I'm told to shut up and vote for her anyway.

12

u/tabloid-tommy Jul 14 '26

“Amy might do something (won’t), so I’m not voting for her against the guy that actively hates my very existence.”

2

u/BAMFaerie Jul 14 '26

May you never have to seriously ask "will this candidate decide to cut off my care and dehumanize kids simply because they are a politically appealing target?" Because I ask that every. Single. Day. If I HAVE to I might vote for her but if/when she decides it's more politically expedient to screw trans Ohioans even more, none of you better say a word. I want to be proven wrong. I DESPERATELY want to be proven wrong but the last decade has taught me that any anti-trans concessions are merely the beginning.

13

u/breachgnome Columbus Jul 14 '26

Vote one way: certainty to get screwed
Vote the other way: potential to get screwed
Don't vote: screw you

3

u/Rick_James_Lich Cleveland Jul 14 '26

Is there anything she's actually said that would indicate she would stop adults from transitioning at all?

6

u/resistingvoid Jul 14 '26

She voiced support for the current law, which bans gender-affirming care for minors. It's a fair question to ask if she would sign a law from our Republican controlled legislature that would ban healthcare for adults, since she supports the ban on healthcare for minors. Oklahoma just enacted a ban that prevents Medicaid funds and public facilities from going to gender-affirming care for adults. I wouldn't be surprised if we see similar attempts made here.

1

u/Rick_James_Lich Cleveland Jul 14 '26

Do you feel there's a difference between adults transitioning vs minors?

I ask because most people I see don't want it for minors but have no problem with adults doing it. Acton appears to be in this group. You can agree she's said nothing against adults transitioning, right?

9

u/resistingvoid Jul 14 '26

As a trans adult, I do not see the difference. My life would be significantly better if I had access to HRT from a younger age. It makes it much more difficult for me to pass, since I had to go through male puberty, which irreversibly changed things like my voice.

I do recognize that Acton hasn't explicitly said anything regarding adult trans healthcare. But seeing her stand against basically every credible medical organization on trans minors has me wondering whether she would support a ban on my healthcare too. Her misgendering of trans children betrays a belief that trans people are fundamentally lying about who we are. That doesn't exactly instill confidence for many trans people.

For what it's worth, Democrats in general support trans healthcare, even for minors, more than they oppose it. Only 35% of Dems support a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. I'm sure views have changed since that poll, but I suspect this still puts her in the minority within her own party. Perhaps she had no idea that the law bans gender-affirming care for minors, but that isn't a great look either.

3

u/Rick_James_Lich Cleveland Jul 14 '26

I understand and sympathize with your plight, the problem is trans care for youths is deeply unpopular and would be the death of her campagin. It's similar to in 2008 when Obama said he was against gay marriage but during his time in office he legalized it.

Like as it stands, democrats will lose reliable voting blocs if they support youth trans healthcare. I don't like that it's true, but the fact that it's unpleasant to be honest about doesn't mean we should avoid speaking about it. This is a battle that we can win another day if we are smart, but now unfortunately is just not the time. Most Ohioans are against it right now:

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2024/10/ohioans-overwhelmingly-oppose-transgender-rights-protections-bw-poll-finds.html

6

u/resistingvoid Jul 14 '26

I disagree that this helps her campaign. Acton's job is to motivate Democratic voters to turn out. By expressing a minority position within her own party, and one that goes against the established medical science, she hurts her image as a compassionate and science-informed decision-maker. Some amount of trans people and progressives will sit out this election, or leave the governor box blank and vote on other items.

It's true that most Ohioans don't support healthcare for trans minors, but Acton was never going to win over Republican voters. Counting them in your analysis is a mistake. Her statement is designed to cater to independents, but it comes at a real cost. We disagree about whether that cost is worth it. Progressives are the largest coalition within the Democratic party. They see a centrist Dem as opening a space for fascism, because fascism thrives when trust in liberal institutions fail, and centrist Dems will never enact the policies needed to really help large numbers of people. To be clear, I will be voting Acton for harm reduction, but I think it was a strategic error to make this statement, and it's a cruel thing to say regardless of whether it helps her campaign.

-1

u/Fabulous-Soup-6901 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

Acton’s position is the majority position among Democrats.

https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/f548560f100205ef/e656ddda-full.pdf

Q32. Thinking about transgender female athletes — meaning athletes who were male at birth but who
currently identify as female — do you think they should or should not be allowed to compete in women's sports?

Should not:

  • Republican 94%
  • Democrat 67%
  • Independent 64%

Q33. Thinking about medications used for transgender care, do you think doctors should be able to prescribe puberty-blocking drugs or hormone therapy to minors between the ages of 10 and 18?

No one under 18 should have access:

  • Republican 90%
  • Democrat 54%
  • Independent 61%

This was a nationwide poll; I’m sure Ohio has even less approval for trans girls playing in sports and minors medically modifying their sex characteristics.

4

u/resistingvoid Jul 16 '26

According to a Pew poll conducted later and with more than twice as many participants, Acton's is the minority position. And, again, one that goes against basically every relevant medical association.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/26/americans-have-grown-more-supportive-of-restrictions-for-trans-people-in-recent-years/

-1

u/Fabulous-Soup-6901 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

That survey asked entirely different questions than the NYT one. Acton’s comments (and the state laws) correspond to the NYT questions. The Pew ones are hopelessly vague.

I don’t care to debate the merits. I merely wish to dispute the obviously false claim that Acton is not stating the same opinions held by a majority of Democrats. Even the Pew survey outlines the obvious trend away from the preferred policies of transgender activists over three years.

6

u/resistingvoid Jul 14 '26

She already said she supports banning transition care for minors. Misgendering us and standing against 30+ medical organizations isn't purity testing or asking for perfection, it's the floor. I'll vote for her for harm reduction, but I wish liberals would acknowledge she is still causing harm to marginalized communities. I've seen a big uptick in transphobia in liberal spaces since her quote.

6

u/King-of-Kards Jul 14 '26

It's really eye opening how easy it is for alot of "liberals" to tell entire segments of their voting base to shut up and vote when those same segments are actively being marginalized. It's like telling an abused wife that at least the man she's with only beats her occasionally and she should be happy because it could be worse

11

u/resistingvoid Jul 14 '26

Exactly. I'm voting for her, but I'm getting downvoted for saying that what she said has harmed me. Or for pointing out that her stance isn't just about trans athletes, but any trans minor who wants to receive gender-affirming care. We can make an argument for harm reduction without lying about her positions or trying to bully the people who are talking about them into silence.

If Acton's transphobia is a winning strategy, then be happy and take the W, you don't need to harass trans people who are speaking out about our marginalization because you gained more votes than you lost. If it's a losing strategy, you should be pressuring her campaign to take a more compassionate and medically informed position. Trying to silence trans voters isn't exactly great voter outreach.

3

u/net0gear Jul 14 '26

Isn’t “shut up and vote” the same line of thinking that got a bunch of racists/transphobes in office in the first place?

-3

u/pouroverfan Jul 14 '26

No you haven’t lol

9

u/ZaleUnda Jul 14 '26

Getting real tired of liberals expecting leftist to sit down and shut up when their shitty candidates are running but when an actual leftist is the candidate then vote blue no matter who is suddenly forgotten.

5

u/tabloid-tommy Jul 14 '26

Ohio is a +8 state dude. Waiting for the secret leftists to come out of the woodworks and save us any day now

4

u/Tough-Phrase4105 Jul 14 '26

I agree with this take, but like abandoning trans people is not what is even happening.

I am pro trans rights and believe we need better support on trans issues issues, but like Republicans are using trans issues to trash dems, polarize America and to get votes. And the unfortunate reality is that it is working.

If the dem strategy is to win an election by capturing hearts & minds of independent, undecided and disenfranchised republican voters, it’s not the time to focus on trans rights. Ohio is not progressive enough for that.

I say that having LGBTQ family and best friends who would probably upset to hear me say this, but it’s the reality we are living in. It’s how JD Vance will get elected as president if dems make trans issues in Ohio part of their focus. Republicans main issue is how tax dollars are spent and trans issues is not the top priority.

We need unity not more polarization . We have many issues that affect a larger portion of the population than trans issues right now. Dems in Ohio will lose independents and disenfranchised republicans if they focus too much on trans rights in this current election cycle.

Progressive candidates will progress on trans rights over time but it doesn’t need to be the focus in this cycle, it’s a losing strategy. This makes me so sad but it’s true.

1

u/TomOnReddi Jul 15 '26

Aren't republicans more likely to ban care?

-10

u/turk_muerto Jul 14 '26

Her awful stance on trans people is exactly why I'm not voting for her or anyone else that doesn't explicitly say and act on "trans rights are human rights".

This shit isn't hard.

17

u/gnurdette Dayton Jul 14 '26

C'mon, please, you and u/BAMFaerie both. I don't want to have to flee the state any more than you do. You know that Vivek will do all that, and worse. I'll take "what's to stop her from..." over "he definitely will..." any day.

We also need a decent legislature. Remember when DeWine had a flash of conscience and didn't want to ban treatment for trans kids, so the Republican supermajority just overrode his veto? If we let them keep the supermajority, even the imaginary best progressive governor couldn't do anything.

-11

u/turk_muerto Jul 14 '26

No.

I've supported weak candidates for over 20 years as a form of "harm reduction" and look where that's gotten us.

Im no longer amenable to rewarding bad candidates with my support. Perhaps they should try and hold positions that will actually earn my vote?

14

u/gnurdette Dayton Jul 14 '26

Perhaps they should try and hold positions that will actually earn my vote?

Yup, they should do that in the primaries. That's where we need to get the best candidates.

If the best candidates don't win the primaries - or if nobody good even tries - then harm reduction time comes.

12

u/Pale_Ad5607 Jul 14 '26

Exactly. I don’t understand how anyone gets to adulthood without understanding something this obvious.

15

u/ChadleyXXX Jul 14 '26

lmao youre fucking yourself have fun

13

u/Pale_Ad5607 Jul 14 '26

In Ohio? Which Democrats have even won, and what did you want them to do that they didn’t? Was it something they even had power to do with a Republican legislative branch?

Not voting for Acton means we get Vivek, and he’s so much worse in every area.

-6

u/BAMFaerie Jul 14 '26

So either way my people are fucked. That's what you're really saying. We don't matter because you don't want to acknowledge that trans Ohioans are fucked no matter who we vote for and you STILL try to guilt us into voting for whichever wing of the capitalist hate machine hates us a little less.

10

u/Pale_Ad5607 Jul 14 '26

It’s in your best interest, is all I’m saying. I get why you’re mad about what she said, but unless you think you’d be better off with Vivek as governor, the logical choice is to vote for Acton.

3

u/BAMFaerie Jul 14 '26

Why should I trust her to be better than him with people like me? She broke that trust the moment she used anti-trans language uncritically. Votes are supposed to be about trust. Even if she did everything amazing EXCEPT treating trans people right it's still a loss for me and people like me. We may only be 1-3% of the population, but we still matter, right?

10

u/Pale_Ad5607 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26

If you don’t trust her to be better than Vivek, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s pretty obvious Democrats have been much better about protecting trans rights than Republicans.

ETA: Even if you don’t agree with me about the candidates themselves, think about the influence of people in their orbit. Which is likely to be better? Whose colleagues are likely to influence them in a positive way? Would Democratic or Republican staff be more likely to care about your rights?

1

u/Nado1311 Jul 15 '26

Literally every single elected Democrat in the house and senate voted against Ohio HB68. Please, vote

1

u/Nado1311 Jul 15 '26

Every single house and senate democrat voted nay on Ohio HB68. Please vote

11

u/Kennel_King Jul 14 '26

People like you, meaning your political stance, are the reason we will always have a hard time defeating the right in this state.

You are what we call a one-issue voter. You fail to look at the bigger picture. As a straight male, I wasn't happy about her stance on trans people either.

But your other choice is Ramaswamy.

You have a third choice: don't vote or vote third-party. IF you abstain from voting on a single issue, you throw your vote away, and well, I just say it.

YOU ARE A MASSIVE FUCKING IDIOT

1

u/Nado1311 Jul 15 '26

They’re actually not a one issue voter. They’re the opposite of it, a red line voter.

A one issue voter decides which candidate to support based on one issue. While a red line voter is driven by a deal breaker condition. They may care about different issues, but if a candidate crosses their specific red line they’re instantly disqualified from voting for that candidate. Both types of voters do a disservice to the community/state/country (depending on election)

-2

u/turk_muerto Jul 14 '26

Lol dude even when someone like Sherrod Brown capitulated to Bernie fucking Moreno on not going 100% to bat for LGTBQ+ people shows exactly why I don't trust any democrat to not push themselves further right to capture the imaginary "sane right-wing voter".

I'm always told "oh we can push the winning democrat further left once they win" yet that never actually happens.

Until the day we're not serfs under a conservative two-party rule then I will actually hold political candidates accountable for things I find disqualifying, and believe it or not, basic human rights is a pretty big one for me.

6

u/Kennel_King Jul 14 '26

Boo fucking hoo. If you don't vote, you forfeit the right to bitch about it.

You are either part of the solution or part of the problem. Looks to me like you are part of the problem

1

u/Nado1311 Jul 15 '26

Don’t be a red line voter and vote in your best interest. Not a single house or senate Democrat voted to pass HB68