A recently surfaced photo allegedly showing JD Vance as a drag queen during his time at Yale Law School has caused controversy. The image, which went viral, has attracted attention due to Vance’s controversial stance on LGBTQ issues.
When contacted by the Daily Beast, a spokesperson for Republican vice presidential candidate Vance neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of the photo. Travis Whitfill, who posted the image, claims it was taken by a fellow Yale student in 2012 when Vance was a student at the university.
Did JD Vance dress up as a drag queen in viral photos?
Travis Whitfill, who allegedly sent the photo to podcast host Matt Bernstein, stated that the image came from a group chat among Vance’s classmates and was shared by a “friend of a friend.”
“Hi Matt, I am the source of the photo (which I sent you via friends). It was taken in 2012 (the same time I was at Yale). The photo was taken by a classmate and sent to me. Thanks for sharing,” wrote Whitfill, adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine.
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Matt Bernstein also claimed in a statement to DB that the photo was taken from Facebook and at a Halloween party. In his social media post, Bernstein further noted, “I would want to ban drag even if I couldn’t serve.”
Internet users criticize JD Vance’s “cruel” attitude towards the LGBTQ movement
The development has sparked much criticism, especially since Vance has a history of controversy, particularly when it comes to LGBTQ issues, which many find hypocritical in light of the photo. Activists have used the image to point out perceived contradictions in Vance’s stance on LGBTQ rights.
Judge Horn, Jackson County Planning Commissioner, shared the image on his social media channels and wrote, “Ladies and gentlemen, a picture of JD Vance in drag while attending Yale Law School. I am not sharing this to shame those who dress in drag, but to shame those who dress in drag despite having previously enjoyed this art form.”
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“Remember: this is not about JD Vance in a drag costume, this is about the hypocrisy,” one user commented on the photo. In the comments section, many Yale alumni claimed the image was true and gave their own version of the event. “He wants drag costumes to be banned. He lived a ‘gay’ life with Thiel in San Francisco a few years ago. I have nothing against him doing that, but when it comes to criminalizing homosexuality, then it would be appropriate to point out that he is a ‘hypocrite,'” wrote a second person.
JD Vance’s controversial remarks
HRC and GLAAD have criticized JD Vance for supporting the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which would ban gender-affirming medical treatment for children and severely punish those who violate the rules. Vance also did not support the Respect for Marriage Act, which was about defending same-sex, opposite-race marriages. In addition, he has perpetuated harmful stereotypes and labeled LGBTQ people and their supporters as “groomers.”
In one of his previous statements, Trump’s vice presidential nominee said, according to NBC, “The last thing the State Department should be doing is wasting its time and taxpayer dollars promoting a far-left gender ideology.” He added, “There are only two genders – passports issued by the U.S. government should reflect that simple fact. I am proud to introduce this bill to bring some sanity back to our federal bureaucracy.”
