Jeff Crecelius attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed residency at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
In response to a recent letter, my hope is the LGBTQIA community will consider all that is in play when considering Amy Acton for governor.
As a pediatrician and proud father of a gay man, I understand that community's struggle.
While caring for teenagers as part of my career, I always provided a safe space for my patients to 'come out' if they wished.
My intention was to provide advocacy for those who felt alone or needed support. All LGBTQIA persons, as with all human beings, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Uniquely, for 36 years now, I have known Amy Acton. Believe me, there has never been a person who
treats all human beings with dignity and respect more than Amy Acton.
The topic of biological males who have transitioned to female participating in female sports is a complicated and nuanced issue. It is deserving of a scientific approach. A policy put forth in March 2026by the International Olympic Committee is thorough, concise and evidence-based.
"Male sex provides a performance advantage in all sports and events that rely on strength, power and endurance. To ensure fairness, and to protect safety, particularly in contact sports, eligibility should therefore be based on biological sex." Also, "The most accurate and least intrusive method currently available to verify biological sex is screening for the SRY gene, a segment of DNA typically found on the Y chromosome."
It is a one-time saliva or cheek swab screening.
"With the rare exception of athletes with a diagnosis of Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, or other rare differences/disorders in sex development who do not benefit from the anabolic and/or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone, no athlete with an SRY-positive screen is eligible for competition in the female category of an IOC event."
Please read the full policy.
It is very possible to be pro-trans, but believe no one deserves unfair advantage in competitive events that rely on strength, power or endurance.
LGBTQIA, Amy Acton is your candidate, and I believe will be the best governor Ohio has ever had.
She is in a razor-thin battle for governor.
Amy sees you. She especially sees those who are marginalized. She grew up marginalized.
Jeff Crecelius attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed residency at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He founded Hilliard Pediatrics in 1990 and retired in 2018.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: I know Amy Acton. She stands firm with LGBTQ Ohioans despite trans athlete controversy | Opinion
