Who is Vivek Ramaswamy? Where does he stand on LGBTQ+ rights?

Vivek Ramaswamy has emerged as an “anti-woke” Republican presidential candidate who wants to “revive American national identity” by outlawing social efforts towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and removing decades-old federal government departments.

He is rabidly anti-transgender and opposes any efforts to promote LGBTQ+-inclusivity among children, adults, or society in general.

Vivek Ramaswamy At a Glance

• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Party Affiliation: Republican
• Race/Ethnicity: Indian-American
• Gender Identity: Male
• Sexual Orientation: Straight
• Pronouns: He/Him
• LGBTQ+ Ally: No

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• Facebook: VivekGRamaswamy
• Twitter: @VivekGRamaswamy
• Instagram: @VivekGRamaswamy
• YouTube: @vivek-2024
• TikTok: @vivekgramaswamy
• Website: Vivek2024.com

Related:

Conservative Christian slams Vivek Ramaswamy for not being Christian as he rises in GOP polls

Ramaswamy said that he has adopted “Judeo-Christian values,” but the activist said “God hates” him because he’s Hindu.

Biography

Ramaswamy was born in 1985 to Indian Hindu parents in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2007, he graduated Harvard with a BA in biology and also co-founded the Campus Venture Network, a private networking site for college-aged entrepreneurs.

From 2007 to 2014, he worked as a partner and biotech portfolio manager for the QVT Financial hedge fund. In 2013, he graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor. In 2014, he married his wife and founded Roivant, a drug development company. He resigned as its CEO in 2021.

In 2021, he published his New York Times bestseller Woke Inc. and in 2022, he published Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence — both books criticized left-wing identity politics. He also began publicly speaking on the issue at right-wing gatherings and on Fox News.

Ramaswamy’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues

Ramaswamy opposes transgender rights, and his 2024 campaign website “TRUTHS” section states, “There are two genders.” He has said that chromosomes entirely determine gender, despite scientific proof that chromosomes and other biological factors can create gender fluidity in humans and non-human animals.

He also considers trans identity to be a mental disorder and sees the LGBTQ+ rights movement as a “cult” that wants to “force everyone else to bend the knee to [its] confused belief system.”

Same-sex marriage

A spokesperson for Ramaswamy told The Washington Post that he thinks same-sex marriage is “settled precedent.”

Trans children in sports

Ramaswamy has referred to trans identity as a “mental health disorder” and said that U.S. culture should “compassionately” seek to stop others from experiencing it. “The cultural movement in this country, even education, is creating more gender dysphoria,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press in April 2023.

In an April 6, 2023 tweet, Ramaswamy criticized the U.S. Dept of Education under President Joe Biden for “saying local schools can’t stop boys from competing in girls’ sports.” He added, “It’s appalling that we spend *$83 billion per year* on this toxic agency. It’s rotten waste. That’s why I’ll shut it down without apology.”

The U.S. Dept of Education strikes again – now saying local schools can’t stop boys from competing in girls’ sports. It’s appalling that we spend *$83 billion per year* on this toxic agency. It’s rotten waste. That’s why I’ll shut it down without apology.https://t.co/WnEsfBfvt5

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 7, 2023

He also received the 2022 Gentleman of Distinction Award while speaking at the annual gala of the Independent Women’s Forum, a right-wing group that opposes trans athletes in women’s sports.

Transgender access to public bathrooms

In a June 2023 tweet, he expressed his opposition to making bathrooms, workplaces, schools, and the military more trans-inclusive.

“We live in a free country & that means you’re free to act how you want as an adult, but you can’t foist your views onto everyone else,” he wrote in the tweet.

Don’t say gay/LGBTQ+ discussions in schools

While Ramaswamy doesn’t seem to have specifically commented on laws banning LGBTQ+ content from schools, he has criticized the LGBTQ+ movement for being a “cult” that is imposing its belief on kids and has said he doesn’t want schools to accommodate trans students.

During his April 2023 appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, he said, “This LGBTQIA+ movement has become [a cult.] … In the name of rights, what they’ve actually done is created a new culture of oppression in the opposite direction, imposing that on kids.”

“I think adults are free to make whatever choices they want, but do not foist that ideology onto children before children are in a position as adults to make decisions for themselves,” he said in August 2023.

In a June 2023 tweet, he wrote, “Leave our kids alone, don’t try to change our language, our bathrooms, our sports. Don’t mandate special ‘trainings’ in our workplace, our schools, our military. ‘You be you,’ but don’t force everyone else to bend the knee to your confused belief system.”

Ramaswamy also criticized the national retailer Target for offering LGBTQ+-inclusive apparel for adults and children in its 2023 Pride Month collection. He called a right-wing boycott against Target a justified “response to a company that chooses to spit in their face,” adding, “I have no doubt that many companies do find wokeness to be a good short-term trick.”

Discrimination protections

Ramaswamy has signaled a willingness to roll back trans civil rights. In a June 2023 tweet, he wrote, “Transgenderism is most often a mental health disorder & should be treated accordingly.” His tweet explained that he doesn’t want trans activists to “change our language, our bathrooms, our sports… our workplace, our schools, our military” to be more trans-inclusive.

He said that he supports removing trans military service members from combat roles. “The risk of letting someone with a mental health problem serve in combat roles is too high, but for most roles in the military (administrative, support, legal, etc.), I don’t think a categorical ban makes sense,” he wrote.

Ramaswamy supports signing a federal bill that would ban minors from accessing gender-affirming healthcare. “Below the age of 18, I think it’s perfectly legitimate to say that we won’t allow genital mutilation or chemical castration through puberty blockers,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press in April 2023, even though genital surgeries aren’t performed on minors and puberty blockers don’t cause sterility.

He also said the “cult of transgenderism” has arisen because Americans are suffering from “a deeper void of purpose & meaning” which can be resolved by forcing 18 years old to either enlist in the military or pass a civics test.

I’m an unapologetic American nationalist & my top objective as U.S. President is to revive civic pride in America.

Earlier today on @ThisWeekABC, I said that as U.S. President I would not implement a categorical ban on trans people in the military (though I do support a…

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 5, 2023

Ramaswamy’s career

• Graduated from Harvard with a BA in biology
• Co-founded the Campus Venture Network
• Worked as partner and biotech portfolio manager for QVT Financial
• Graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor
• Founded Roivant, a drug development company
• Published two books criticizing identity politics

In conclusion

Vivek Ramaswamy regularly speaks against the transgender community, as well as its straight and LGBQ+ allies, seeing them as cult members who threaten children and society at large by “forcing” both to accept their “confused” beliefs. He has signaled a willingness to use governmental power to end attempts to make social institutions more LGBTQ+-inclusive.

Stay informed about his career by subscribing to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter.

Related articles

Related:

Conservative Christian slams Vivek Ramaswamy for not being Christian as he rises in GOP polls

Ramaswamy said that he has adopted “Judeo-Christian values,” but the activist said “God hates” him because he’s Hindu.