Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attacked Texas state Rep. James Talarico by making a perplexing dig about testosterone. Experts in gender studies and politics say that fixations on testosterone are becoming more mainstream, and it’s all a part of a broader strategy to justify “aggression and dominance.”
During his primary runoff victory speech in Texas on Tuesday night, Paxton, the scandal-ridden MAGA ally of President Donald Trump, listed off a slew of Trump-esque offensive monikers for Talarico, such as “James Tala-freako,” “Six-gender Jimmy,” “Tofu Talarico” and “Low-T Talarico.”
Right-wingers have been ramping up their attacks against Talarico since he defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) in the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate primary back in March.
Among their criticisms of Talarico are attacks related to his outspoken support for transgender communities and his past remarks about animal welfare and veganism (Trump and other conservatives often mock Talarico for being a vegan, which he is not).
Right-wingers have also blasted the Democrat for his past comments saying “God is both masculine and feminine” and “nonbinary,” and for previously saying that there are more than two biological sexes. (Talarico has since said that he was referring to “a very small percentage of people who have these chromosomal abnormalities” and that he believes “they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”)
