The serious version of the underlying transgender debate is actually about compassion and cruelty. Supporters of both sides believe they are on the side of mercy. No matter how much you argue, you can't convince the other side's dedicated soldiers. This is because there was no rational basis for their opinions in the first place.
But I think a certain amount of empathy, without compromising the need to protect children from physical or chemical intervention or the integrity of women's sports, will ultimately go a long way.
One of the biggest surprises I've had while participating in a campaign came from none other than the mainstream media.
During election periods, networks “embed” young reporters into major presidential campaigns, having them attend and cover every event and press conference. One of these implanters was a reporter for a major news organization.
Let's call her Kori. Cori was an especially hard worker, never missing an event and always jumping at the chance to ask questions. Cori frequently challenged me on issues of gender identity, particularly my view that being transgender is a mental health disorder.
At an event in Iowa, I asked some particularly provocative questions about transgenderism being forced on children in schools. There were many understandably disgruntled parents in the room who voiced their concerns publicly.
My response, without reservation, was that transgenderism is a mental health condition and needs to be treated as such. After that incident, Kori asked to speak one-on-one.
Her reports always called balls and strikes fairly. So when she approached me in an unusual manner, I took the time to talk to her. I stopped, saw her eyes half filled with tears, and stepped aside from the crowd. It turned out that Kori wanted a private conversation.
“I've really enjoyed getting to know everyone this year, especially Apoorva and the kids. But let me ask you this: How are you so sure there are really only two genders?” Kori asked me, shaking a little.
Yes, I was speaking on the record to a mainstream reporter who was recording my remarks, but this was not actually a conversation with a news outlet. It was a personal conversation with someone I've come to respect as a human being, and I think my family and myself have come to respect as well. And Kori was clearly upset.
I explained my view that it started with biology. If you have two X chromosomes and a female reproductive system, you are female. If you have an X chromosome, a Y chromosome, and a male reproductive system, you are male. period.
At that moment, it occurred to me. Kori isn't pretending to be angry or making up weird questions. She approached me because she identified herself as non-binary. She felt hurt by my comment. It hurt not divinely for some stranger, but for herself. I think she was hurt not because she hated me, but because she respected me.
So I asked Kori about her own identity. She said she identifies as non-binary. When I asked her when she realized this, she said it was when she was in high school. When I asked her what was different about her experience compared to a young woman who discovered a different sexual preference than most other women, she paused and became thoughtful. She didn't have an answer right away, but I wasn't going to push this on her.
Instead we talked about her family. She grew up in a single-parent household in Baltimore with a single black mother. Her father was imprisoned for many years, which strained their relationship. She did not come from the kind of background one would expect to graduate from college, much less become, in my opinion, the best journalist in her field.
We didn't come to any major solutions other than smiling and politely agreeing to continue the conversation. Since then, I have met Cori several times. She is the only press embed I keep in regular contact with after the campaign ends. When I visited the Breakfast Club in New York City for the podcast, I called Cori and invited her backstage, not as a member of the press, but as a friend.
She accepted and my intention was to finish the conversation I started in Iowa. But we ended up talking about her new apartment and her current job since my campaign ended.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that there can be unity without unity. Maybe Kori and I will finish talking from Iowa someday.
Probably not. However, when remembering his relationship with Cori, his discussion with her about transgenderism is definitely not the most important part.
Excerpt from TRUTHS: The Future of America First by Vivek Ramaswamy. Copyright © 2024 by Vivek Ramaswamy. Reprinted with permission of Threshold Editions, a publisher of Simon & Schuster, LLC.
