On Sunday an image of a man who looks like Vance dressed in drag circulated on X/Twitter and made headlines as election season is in full swing.
Social media influencer and political commentator Matt Bernstein resurfaced the alleged photos of Donald Trump's 2024 running mate.
While Vance has yet to confirm if the photos were of him, that didn’t stop users from cracking jokes at the discovery of the notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ politician.
"I've obtained a photo of JD Vance in drag while at Yale Law School," Bernstein wrote in an Instagram story.
For the grid post, Bernstein wrote: "Eyeliner origin story."
The image in question features a man (presumably Vance) wearing a blonde wig, a black blouse, and a skirt.
new: i have obtained a photo of jd vance in drag while at yale law school pic.twitter.com/jYf14Lwa4D
— matt (@mattxiv) August 11, 2024
He also confirmed the origin of the photo, writing on X, “I was the source of the photo (sent through friends to you). This was taken in 2012 (the same time I was at Yale). Photo was taken by a classmate and sent to me. Thanks for sharing.”
Pro-LGBTQ+ organizations have commented on the double standards that come with he alleged photos while the Trump-Vance campaign has not remarked on the images since their resurfacing.
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis condemned Vance’s apparent double standards in a statement to The Advocate.
“What would you call an anti-LGBTQ extremist who, as it turns out, has a history of dressing in drag? A hypocrite,” Ellis said. “The anti-LGBTQ hate that Vance spews is in stark contrast to the law student who counted a trans classmate as a close friend for years and apparently dressed in drag himself. Anyone who has donned drag knows that it is not harmful: drag can be beautiful, fun, and empowering, like any artistic performance.”
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign national press secretary Brandon Wolf said: “Isn’t it interesting that MAGA politicians like JD Vance think that they are the only ones who deserve freedoms? Americans are tired of hypocrites who want to tell everyone else what to read, what to wear, and who to be,”
“That’s why Trump, Vance, and their Project 2025 nightmare are flailing. As Governor Walz says, we’d all be better off if MAGA politicians followed a Golden Rule: mind your own damn business.”
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