SPLAT. Andrew’s knee struck the jagged mountain path. Blood—warm and red—spilled down his leg, weaving into the dusty trail like an offering to the earth. It was the summer of 1993 in the rugged terrain of Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico. I was leading a group of twenty young men through a narrow ravine, our boots crunching over ancient stone. Andrew was falling behind.
As the appointed hike leader of our two-week expedition, I did what any trained Eagle Scout would do. I whistled—sharp and clear—halting the troop. I helped Andrew to his feet, redistributed the weight of his pack, and moved him to the front of the line. In our creed, the slowest hiker sets the pace. There is no victory unless everyone crosses the finish line.
That, I’ve come to believe, is how love works.
Today, America lies wounded on the trail—bruised, bloodied, and struggling to keep up. And yet, unlike that moment in 1993, no one has whistled. No one has stopped to help. The 2024 election season revealed a nation consumed by venom, where division was currency and hatred became strategy. We, the inheritors of a country built on sacrifice and shared hope, are hemorrhaging unity in exchange for power.
We’re told it’s politics. But in truth, it’s a love problem.
Our systems—political, economic, and spiritual—have been compromised. For centuries, the logic of war has quietly infiltrated the logic of love. Business, once a mechanism to serve human needs, has been co-opted by profit at any cost. I know—I was part of it. In my twenties, I led a $60 million global initiative at General Electric, expanding markets, shaking hands with heads of state, and shifting labor to cheaper countries. I was building an empire. I was also, unknowingly, accelerating the systemic inequality we now face.
Today, the top 1% of Americans own nearly 40% of the nation’s wealth. The bottom 50%? Just 4%. Globally, the disparities are worse. What once made America the wealthiest nation on Earth has begun to unravel the fabric of our own communities. There are millions of Andrews now—stumbling under the weight of a system that has forgotten them.
And the truth no one wants to say aloud is this: America has a money-sharing problem.
This isn’t just a political issue. It is the issue. Every other debate—be it immigration, education, healthcare, or climate—is a distraction unless we first address the cancer of wealth inequality. This is not socialism. This is spiritual arithmetic. Sharing is love in motion. It’s a policy born of purpose.
To truly love America is to reinvest in her people. To believe that everyone, regardless of race, gender, orientation, or ZIP code, deserves a chance to rise. It is to say: we are responsible.
Let me be clear—America will continue to honor her women, her diverse races, her gay (LGBT) citizens. We are a covenant nation, a promised people. We are not going back. But neither can we stand still.
The future of this country is not a binary choice between “Make America Great Again” or “Not Going Back.” The answer, I believe, lies in doing both. We must love ourselves enough to reclaim greatness while refusing to repeat the mistakes that broke us. That journey begins with Love—capital L, divine in nature, infinite in possibility.
The Awakening: One Love, Many Names
America has forgotten its first love. We have lost sight of how to love ourselves and one another. But I am not afraid. Spiritual awakenings often come through great suffering. I believe one is at hand. As a gay, Christian father and executive, my mission has become clear: Break Boxes to Build Humans. I believe in One Love—a singular, creative force behind the universe. Call it God, the Great Spirit, the I Am. This Love sent us prophets: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, the Hindu sages, Confucius, Moses, Laozi, and more. Their names differ. Their essence does not. They came from Love and to Love they call us back.
Yes, I am Christian. I believe every knee will bow to Christ, the firstborn. But I also believe that all true prophets reveal facets of the same Light. And that Light is Love. Our systems of belief, once fiery and transformative, have grown lukewarm. Many now worship the created—money, power, self—rather than the Creator. Until we confront this spiritual misalignment, our politics, economies, and global systems will continue to collapse. America was meant to be a “house of prayer for all nations.” We have become, instead, a den of robbers. My forthcoming book, Wake Up to Your Life Magic, is a call to reclaim our highest selves through leadership excellence and economic renewal. Love must flow through our systems like lifeblood. Until then, our nation remains on its knees.
A Republican for Love
I believe that President Trump and the Republican party are in office for a higher purpose. Not to dominate. But to redirect. Yes, the rhetoric has at times been ugly. Yes, history remembers wounds. And yet, as I step into this arena as a Republican, the response from many in my communities—female, Black, Hispanic, gay—is a resounding, “WTF?!” I hear you. But we must examine not only what was done, but why. What did these strategies—however painful—reveal? They revealed desperation. They revealed the lengths to which a party rooted in personal responsibility was willing to go to prevent collapse.
As someone who has built corporations and negotiated with world leaders, I know this: the people in power rarely tell the whole truth. Often, they can’t. But if we look closely, we’ll see the truth anyway. Our systems are failing. AI is emerging. Trust is eroding. We need leaders who are fearless, spiritually awake, and radically transparent.
We must build bridges—across race, gender, class, and party lines. We must stop defining ourselves by blue or red and start living by the white in our flag—symbolizing purity, not perfection.
Let’s create a human-loving capitalism—efficient, creative, innovative. Let’s become the next great experiment in shared wealth. Europe has begun. We can go further. We can lead.
Atlanta: A City on a Hill
And so, with full heart and clear eyes, I am announcing my candidacy for Mayor of Atlanta.
I do this for my chosen family, for my daughters, for the generations to come. Atlanta stands on the shoulders of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who dreamt of a promised land. We can make that dream real.
Federal budget cuts and AI-driven job loss are descending upon us like storm clouds. Atlanta leads the nation in wealth inequality. We must respond—not with fear, but with fire.
We must protect our economy by empowering entrepreneurs, revolutionizing housing, modernizing transportation, and building merit-based education systems that serve every child, rural and urban.
We must protect our money by ending decades of inefficiency and mismanagement. Having raised my children in the Old Fourth Ward, I have seen firsthand how policies fail the people. My leadership at GE, IBM, and McKesson proves I can turn red ink into green.
We must protect our unity with spiritual clarity. Love must transcend party, race, or income bracket. The world must see we are more healed than we are broken.
And yes, we must fix the potholes. The literal ones.
Atlanta is where I came out, where I built The Gayly Dose—voted Atlanta’s #1 podcast—and founded The Gayly Impact non-profit to foster financial development across communities. My honorary doctorate from a Black Christian university was not merely an accolade. It was a commission.
None of it would have been possible without the unwavering support of Atlanta’s Jewish leaders and Black female trailblazers.
My candidacy is not performative. It is prophetic. It is proof that the Republican party can evolve. That it must. And that it will.
We must stop asking, “Whose lives matter?” and start answering with actions that say: All lives matter when all lives are truly loved.
To the Healers, the Dreamers, the Builders.
The time has come. This is our moment.
We must believe that Love—fierce, honest, enduring—can heal a city, a state, a nation and change the world. I have good news for you. Our belief in Love begins not outside, but inside. You are responsible for the most important part of the story – yours. When you choose to believe that Love has not forgotten you, that a better future is promised, it is only ours to pursue, you will find a new kind of happiness erupting in your life from the purpose it gives you. How can you contribute to this grand new world?
Since we are manifesting beings, let us create a future rooted in trust, equity, and compassion. Let us awaken to our divine calling to lead with integrity. Let us love America like never before. Let us lead the world into an age of peace. This collective dream is the only dream that matters. And it is ours to fulfill. One Love. For All. Forever.
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