The Democratic Party Calls Stephen Miller an “Ugly Fuck” After an Anti-LGBTQ Lie

The deputy White House chief of staff, Stephen Miller, on Tuesday falsely claimed during a heated online exchange that James Talarico, the Democratic Senate hopeful from Texas, is transgender. In doing so, Republicans widened their anti-LGBTQ attacks against the Democrat, who in turn pushed back with equally blunt rhetoric.

The clash followed the Democrats’ leadership team promoting the 37-year-old Talarico on their official X account. Talarico had already clinched his party’s primary in March, and on Tuesday the Republicans held their primary as well. Among the contenders was Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general backed by former President Donald Trump, who emerged as a particularly radical candidate. With this outcome, Democrats see a real chance to win a Texas-wide Senate race for the first time since 1988.

Miller, who is regarded as one of Trump’s most radical advisers because of his nationalist views, immediately asserted on X—without offering any proof—that Talarico is transgender. “The Democrats have made history in Texas by nominating their first transgender Senate candidate,” he wrote verbatim. The backdrop is that a beleaguered Republican Party is leaning into transphobic remarks as a tactic to rally its Christian-evangelical base, which is often skeptical of transgender people.

Talarico is not just transgender in Republican circles—he is also vegan

Republicans have continued to try to derail the Democratic candidate with a wave of misinformation. On Tuesday, Joe Gruters, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, appeared on Newsmax to say: “He’s a vegan. He believes God is nonbinary, and he wants to mutilate children. He wants to dress boys in girls’ clothing. People have had enough.” In reality, Talarico is a meat eater—and Democrats released a photo showing him wearing a shirt in Texas flag colors while eating barbecue. He has, however, previously noted that excessive meat consumption could have negative climate effects.

Talarico had previously made remarks that Republicans regarded as provocative. In one speech, he said that God is “not binary.” In an interview with CBS News, he explained that the statements were “intentionally provocative,” while adding: “God cannot be defined by human categories.”

Talarico is not just trans in Republican circles—he is also vegan

In addition to the charges leveled at him, Republicans are attempting to damage the Democrat through additional claims. Florida Republican Party chair Gruters’s remarks on Newsmax came as part of a broader effort to paint Talarico as outside the political mainstream. Democrats, meanwhile, released a barbecue photo of him to counter the vegan allegation, along with broader reminders of his climate-conscious positions.

The race to replace Paxton is highly anticipated. Paxton fired back at Talarico shortly after the primary results were announced on Tuesday night, calling his opponent “weird” for supporting transgender youths. The Republican nominee also gave Talarico nicknames like “James Tala-freako” or, echoing the vegan misinformation, “Tofu Talarico.” Such epithets were popularized by Donald Trump, who once dubbed his opponent Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”

Ken Paxton has served as Texas’s attorney general since 2015. He is widely perceived as one of the more anti-LGBTQ members of the Republican Party. In 2022, he said he would vigorously pursue the recriminalization of homosexuality in the role of attorney general (as TheColu.mn reported). The 63-year-old is controversial for facing several corruption allegations, though he was not convicted because the Texas Senate—where Republicans hold the majority—acquitted him. On Wednesday, Talarico released Paxton’s mugshot on X as part of the campaign narrative. (dk)