A Republican politician who advocates for a ban on drag costumes, even though he himself has allegedly worn drag costumes in the past…? Groundbreaking.
Social media influencer and political commentator Matt Bernstein has resurfaced alleged photos of Donald Trump’s 2024 vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, in full gear. As reported by The Daily Beast“A spokesman for the Republican vice presidential candidate did not deny the authenticity of the photo when asked by The Daily Beastand made no further comment.”
“I have a photo of JD Vance in drag when he was at Yale Law School,” Bernstein wrote in an Instagram story. Captioning the Grid post, Bernstein wrote, “Eyeliner origin story.” Oh, and did we mention that Bernstein literally tagged Vance in the post too?! Iconic behavior if you ask us.
Out of turned to Bernstein, who revealed revealing details about the process of obtaining this alleged photo of Vance in a female costume.
Browse to read Out of‘s interview with Matt Bernstein – who you can follow on Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, Threads, and YouTube. You can support Bernstein’s work by subscribing to his Patreon.
How and where did you find this alleged picture of JD Vance in a female costume? Were you able to confirm that it is JD Vance?
Bernstein: The photo first came to me anonymously, via a friend of a friend, who said the photographer wanted to remain anonymous but wanted the photo published. Travis Whitfill (@twhitfill on X/Twitter), who is now a professor at Yale School of Medicine but was JD’s classmate at Yale in 2012 (when the photo was taken), has since claimed credit for the photo.
Do you find it ironic that there are photos and/or documented moments in drag of so many politicians who are against drag and LGBTQ+?
Bernstein: I don’t find it ironic because drag is fun. I grew up around only straight men and I can tell you that after a few drinks and in a safe environment, they’re happy to put on a wig. There’s nothing more natural than the joy you feel when trying out these avenues of self-expression. That’s a human impulse. What’s unnatural is the urge to restrict and ban drag because you think voters will respond well to anti-queer rhetoric. That’s a political impulse.
This upcoming election is so important. How does it feel to continue to use your platform to educate your followers about all the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric?
Bernstein: I think there’s a notion that gay rights have gotten so bad under a Democratic president, so how could they get any worse? People are understandably tired of governments that don’t adequately respond to their needs. I understand that. But I want people to know that the gay rights situation can and definitely will get worse under Trump and Vance. I don’t want people to live in fear, but I want them to know what’s at stake and act accordingly.
Your story about JD Vance “not serving” is funny. If you saw his Dragsona on the runway on Drag Race and had to criticize her, what would you say?
Bernstein: Everything is wrong. It’s as if he was asleep when Ru said: ‘Let’s go!’ at the start of a design challenge. Everyone runs to get their materials – he woke up 10 minutes later and was left with the leftovers. But still: protect the bad air resistance.
Meatball performs a parody of Megami’s variety show number from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 16.
TikTok (@pablospinktaco); Instagram (@spiciestmeatball)
Raffy Ermac contributed to this report.
