Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance told Joe Rogan that people are adopting a trans identity to reject their “white privilege” and so improve their chances of being accepted into university.
During a podcast interview with controversial comedian Joe Rogan, Vance made several contentious comments about trans and non-binary individuals.
With the presidential election now just days away, a survey has revealed that 92 per cent of trans and non-binary respondents are feeling anxious about the outcome, with some even preparing to flee the country if Donald Trump wins back the White House.
Republicans are said to have spent millions of dollars on anti-trans advertisements, criticising vice-president Kamala Harris’ support for transgender rights.
‘Gender craziness’
JD Vance reiterated the Republican Party’s anti-trans rhetoric, claiming what he called “gender craziness,†was “most common among upper-middle to lower-middle-class white progressives.â€
He went on to say: “You could believe this is a cultural trend that we should be questioning a lot more than we are right now.
“If you are a middle-class or upper-middle-class white parent, and the only thing that you care about is whether your child gets into Harvard or Yale, obviously that pathway has become a lot harder for a lot of upper-middle-class kids.”
Describing being transgender as a ” social signifier”, the Ohio senator told Rogan: “But the one way those people can participate in the DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] bureaucracy in this country is to be trans. If you become trans that is a way to reject your white privilege.”
His comments are at odds with Vance’s widely publicised friendship with a trans woman, Sofia Nelson, while at college. His former friend has repeatedly spoken out about Vance’s change of political stance.
In previous interviews, Nelson said that the Vance they knew is not the same one the public has been introduced to on the campaign trail.
“I’m heartbroken by the transformation that they’ve decided to undergo… The JD that I got to know in law school… was thoughtful and compassionate. We obviously didn’t share a common politics, but growing up in Wayland, Michigan, it was nothing new to me to develop friendships and respect across the political divide,†Nelson told the Detroit Free Press.
Trans journalist Erin Reed was one of many people who publicly condemned Vance’s remarks.
Elsewhere in the interview, Vance attacked reproductive rights, claiming that some women are “publicly celebrating their abortions by baking birthday cakes and sharing posts about itâ€.
Vance has had a rocky time on the election campaign trail with more than a few gaffes and controversies following him around.
In the latest poll published in Forbes, Democrat Harris has the slenderest of leads over former president Trump, with – importantly – 10 per cent of people who said they are likely to vote on Tuesday (5 November) still undecided about which candidate to back.
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