While the GOP in Texas has recently made it clear they intend to persist in promoting the various lies that support transphobic “bathroom bills,” they’ve taken their anti-trans hysteria further by claiming that some cisgender Democrats running for office are perhaps transgender.

Perhaps most well known is the spectacularly failed attempt to make a photo of Congressman and Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke wearing a 90s-era grunge dress while in his punk band Foss a political issue. Self-described “deplorable” and “Tea Party Original” GOP candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller, called O’Rourke a “sweet young thing in [a] flowered dress.”

Men in grunge dresses were made fashionable with superstars like Kurt Cobain wearing flowered dresses.

Joining O’Rourke as a target of the Texas GOP’s transphobia is Sri Preston Kulkarni, Democratic Congressional candidate for Texas 22, a congressional district currently held by the anti-trans crusader, Pete Olson.

In August, the Fort Bend GOP sent out a mass email titled, “Cross-Dressing Democrat Candidate – Wow.” To support their crossdressing claim, the email’s author noted that Kulkarni was a Burning Man enthusiast who “put on lots of make-up and dress like a woman.” The email included the following images:

The GOP email continues:

Folks, when you couple the destructive policies embraced by this candidate along with his bizarre behavior celebrating a drug-fueled counter-culture, we have an individual who should never represent us AT ANY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT. Unfortunately, without your help, these people could actually win elected office! That is why every Republican must be committed to voting and bringing out friends and family. Here at the Fort Bend Republican Party we are working everyday [sic] to ensure victory, but we can always use your support of $10, $25, $50, or even $100 to keep our operations going full steam.

Shortly after the Republican Party of Fort Bend County sent out the above email, the seat Sri is running for was downgraded from “Safe Republican” to only “Leans Republican.”

While we’ve reached out to the Republican Party of Fort Bend County several times for comment regarding their statements about Sri’s Burning Man attire, they’ve failed to respond.

Maybe Beto can’t debate Ted Cruz because he already had plans… pic.twitter.com/LdqKTh3yK4 — Texas GOP (@TexasGOP) August 28, 2018

Cristan Williams the editor of TransAdvocate.