AG Yost Defends CCV as LGBTQ Group Continues Silencing Efforts
In November, the City Club of Cleveland announced that Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) President Aaron Baer would speak in January on Faith, Policy, and Influence.
Almost immediately, extreme leftists launched the same playbook they always use to try to cancel CCV.
In response to an open letter from LGBTQ+ leaders published on December 9, City Club CEO Dan Moulthrop confirmed he would present their arguments to the City Club Board of Directors.
He also confirmed that the board planned to meet on December 10 to discuss the situation.
These activists are doing everything they can to pressure the City Club of Cleveland into silencing CCV and pushing Christian voices out of public life. At the time of this publication, the activists’ attempt to cancel Aaron’s January 16 talk is before City Club’s board, but they haven’t released a decision.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost publicly defended Center for Christian Virtue and corrected the false narrative being spread about us.
LGBTQ activists are demanding the City Club of Cleveland CANCEL the January 16 speech by Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Values. (The Club hasn’t as of this writing)
— Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) December 10, 2025
My letter to the City Club setting out the arguments against this totalitarian action is below. pic.twitter.com/ACNr11EIlv
In the letter released on December 10, AG Yost stated:
"The Center for Christian Virtue apparently falls afoul the SPLC in its adherence to an orthodox Christian worldview against a variety of postmodernist views about human nature, including sexuality. 'Hate,' in the SPLC lexicon, means simply a withholding of acceptance... As a non-governmental organization, the City Club is not bound by the requirements of the First Amendment. But something just as important should compel your courage in this distasteful attack: the reason for your very existence as a forum will evaporate if you give in to the demands to cancel Mr. Baer’s talk."
The activists trying to cancel our January 16 event are attacking not only CCV, but every Christian who believes biblical truth should be allowed to have a voice in the public square, as Aaron shared in his X post.
Momentum is growing as other leaders add their support, including US Senator Bernie Moreno, The Daily Signal's Tyler O'Neil, Salem News Channel's Hugh Hewitt, and Alliance Defending Freedom's Matt Sharp.
We cannot let activists redefine free speech. We need believers from across Ohio to stand together and show the City Club and the watching public that Christians will not be bullied out of civic engagement.
We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced.
Here’s what you can do now:
Give to CCV today — Your gift ensures we remain in place to defend children, families, and the truth of the Gospel.
Buy a ticket for January 16 and show up — Bring a friend or two with you. We need the room filled with people who care about protecting children and standing for what’s right. RSVP to the City Club here.
Pray — Lift up CCV, Aaron, and all Christians standing for truth in the public square. Pray also for the conversion of these misled activists.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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