A Viral Image Appears to Show Virulently Anti-LGBTQ+ VP Candidate JD Vance in Drag

Vance has yet to comment on the image, but the Trump campaign is certainly aware of it, given how rapidly it spread on social media and in the press over the weekend. The Daily Beast reported that a Vance spokesperson “did not deny the photo’s authenticity … and did not offer any further comment” when approached with questions about the image.

Later on Monday, Bernstein dropped a second image, also allegedly showing Vance in drag, but this time striking a dramatic pose.

Vance, who in 2012 had not yet taken a far rightward political turn, has since gone on to espouse anti-LGBTQ+ politics as Them has previously reported. The Ohio senator opposed the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage as the law of the land, and introduced legislation that would have banned gender-affirming care for trans youth at a federal level. He has also endorsed the notion that the existence of queer and trans people in public life is inherently predatory, writing on Twitter, now X, in 2022: “I’ll stop calling people ‘groomers’ when they stop freaking out about bills that prevent the sexualization of my children.”

That comment was an apparent reference to legislation banning drag shows from taking place in the presence of minors — a trend that began in 2022 and accelerated in subsequent years. The irony that Vance may have been written it fewer than 10 years after dressing in drag himself is readily apparent — but what matters most are his political promises. The official 2024 Republican Party Platform includes promises to “stop taxpayer-funded schools from promoting gender transition” along with a reversal of the Biden administration’s trans-inclusive Title IX guidance.

“Republicans Will End Left-Wing Gender Insanity,” the document promises. The call, as usual, appears to be coming from inside the house.

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