JD Vance, Donald Trump’s pick as the Republican Party’s vice-presidential running mate, gained some notoriety on the weekend, when a photo of him in a skirt and blond wig was posted on X (formerly Twitter). The old photo was posted by podcast host Matt Bersntein who received it from Travis Whitfill, a student at Yale University where Vance was attending law school. The Daily News reports the photo “appears to show the Republican senator from Ohio sporting a blond wig, skirt and a five o’clock shadow. Whitfill told the Dailey Beast the photo was taken in 2012 by a fellow Yale classmate. “It’s from a group chat of Vance’s fellow classmates and is from a friend of a friend,” he told the Daily Beast. “I believe it was grabbed from Facebook and was taken at a Halloween party.” “The unconfirmed image quickly picked up steam and began trending under the hashtag #SofaLoren, a reference to the iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren and the false claim the Republican senator from Ohio had sex with a couch,” reports the Daily Beast. .In his post, Whitfill wrote, “I didn’t know him. From all the sources I’ve heard, JD was actually a good guy in law school. Not sure what happened after though…” “Doing my part for democracy,” he added in another post. The post received a number of comments connecting Vance’s alleged history of cross-dressing with his legislative history, which has long been a point of concern for LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, reports the Daily Beast, adding, “The Ohio senator introduced the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which aims to criminalize medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care to minors.” Vance says he also supports measures to limit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, labelling critics of “don’t say gay” legislation as groomers. Recently, Vance also ran afoul of many women when video of him mocking “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives,” during a 2022 interview with Tucker Carlson, reports the Daily News. When approached by the Daily Beast, a Vance spokesperson did not deny the photo’s authenticity and did not offer any further comment.
