Ruben Gallego's leaked texts mocking Democrats' looks & masculinity intensify temperament concerns

[choie]

First-year U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona is facing intensified scrutiny after leaked text messages showed the Democrat deriding the appearance of women and men in his own party. The comments mirror far-right rhetoric about gender and deepen concerns about his recent repositioning on LGBTQ+ issues.

In the messages, first circulated by a conservative outlet and reported by People last week Gallego, who started his first term in the U.S. Senate in January after previously serving in the House, complained that Democrats are “not allowing men to be men” or “women to be hot,” and wrote, “Dem women look like Dem men and Dem men look like women.” He also lamented that Democrats had become “the not fun party” and no longer embodied “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”

He made some of these remarks after receiving a meme that included an image of 82-year-old Connecticut U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a fellow Democrat.

The remarks came at a moment of escalating political and legislative hostility toward transgender Americans. Seeing a Democratic senator, who replaced Democrat-turned-independent bisexual Sen. Krysten Sinema, use the same gender-policing language deployed by anti-trans commentators has alarmed advocates, who say the rhetoric legitimizes narratives that treat gender nonconformity as a cultural defect rather than a civil rights issue, independent journalist Erin Reed notes on her Substack newsletter Erin in the Morning.

The revelations about his texts also come after months of movement by Gallego away from previously held support for transgender rights. In May, The Advocate reported that Gallego described concerns about transgender girls in sports as “legitimate,” a shift LGBTQ+ groups warned would empower discriminatory policymaking. He later voted for a defense bill containing a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for military personnel.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ruben-gallego-leaked-texts-mocking-212113278.html

[electric_blue68]

1. Woah! Not good, Sen.

Why a change like that?

[BeyondGeography]

2. Which reminds me, why do people do such stupid shit?

[choie]

4. They can't help but reveal

who they really are.

[BeyondGeography]

5. His statements are as inane as they are ill-advised

He’s better than that, but the internal wiring is obviously faulty. Instead of digging in deeper, which he does in that article, he needs to to do better or kindly fuck off from public life.

[yourout]

3. Better to find out now.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. Not to mention the millions in donations from the cryptobros for his yes vote on the GENIUS act. Nt

[senseandsensibility]

7. So men just need to look like men (whatever that means)

but women need to be hot? Sexist BS in addition to everything else. Also, just plain stupid.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. I Always Have To Question...

...the judgment of people who are foolish enough to think email & texts are private.
He needs to explain his poor judgment.
The topic, while inflammatory, is less relevant to me than the stupidity. In fact, the stupidity might be the cause of the questionable opinions.

[mr715]

12. This.

Ignore the banality of it. The stupidity is disqualifying.

[choie]

13. How do you mean?

His stupidity in putting his thoughts in an email is second to the content of the email. His statement on "men being men and women being women" is almost neanderthallic. And put in the context of his horrible votes and views on transgender rights, paints a picture of intolerance and - in my opinion - a Democrat who under the guise of being a party who speaks to the needs of the working class, is actually moving us backwards.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. I Said No Such Thing

Don't accuse me of things I don't believe.

[choie]

21. I wasn't accusing you of anything.

I was trying to get clarification.

[Ferrets are Cool]

55. This

[Midwestern Democrat]

20. You're correct and someone like me that grew up without email or texts knows implicitly never to put anything in writing

that I would not be comfortable having publicly exposed - but for a younger person where email and texts were always the primary form of communication instead of the telephone, it's easy to see how they could slip every so often and say things in email and texts that an older person would only say in person or on a phone call.

[IcyPeas]

9. Disappointing.

Sinema...
Fetterman...

[mr715]

11. Golden! Don't forget about Golden!

Jared Golden.

[jaymac]

51. and

Gillebrand..............who was the leading voice calling for Al Franken's ouster from the senate..........a low thinker

[mr715]

10. With respect to Sen. Gallego

I think he looks too much like J.D. Vance for comfort.

[FHRRK]

33. Right!

Dude needs to step in front of a mirror as he is tossing stones.

[Polybius]

35. Lol, you're right

Now I can't unsee it!

[Ritabert]

14. What is with Arizona Democrats aside from Mark Kelly?

[2naSalit]

15. Is it real...

Or is it AI text?

[Polybius]

37. Real

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego spoke with ABC15, responding to a recent leak of his text messages in which he criticized the Democratic Party. In the exchange on Tuesday, Gallego said he was "heartbroken" that a friend of 20 years leaked private communications.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/senator-ruben-gallego-addresses-recent-011447851.html

[Deep State Witch]

65. Yeah, He's Heartbroken

That he got caught.

[JI7]

16. It seems more like criticism of feminists or women's rights

and women taking up certain roles. I could be wrong .

[La Coliniere]

17. Shame on him.

WTF…I hardly see him as some paragon of adult masculinity…always seems kind of a schlub. He should know better than to continue to harm the trans community, let alone the Democratic Party, of which he owes his political allegiance to, with his unfortunate words. He needs a good talking to.

[intheflow]

18. When can we primary this jerk?

[Anxy]

47. 5 years from now

In 2030.

[Solly Mack]

22. ...

In an interview with local ABC affiliate KNXV last week, Gallego confirmed the leaked texts were authentic and said he was “heartbroken” that a longtime friend shared them. But he did not retreat from their content. “I do think we have to be an open and bigger tent party,” he said, arguing Democrats “are not as inclusive as [they] should be” and must “expand the tent to allow more people in."

He added that the remarks were “a reflection of... everything I’ve said.”

What remains unanswered is how mocking Democrats’ attractiveness, or implying the party’s struggles stem from insufficient femininity or masculinity, aligns with a call for greater inclusivity.

Does he mean let more people in who think as he does?

[Raven123]

27. Well said. Mocking people smells of exclusivity.

Now if I were going to mock him, I might say that he should buck up. This “heartbreaking” stuff isn’t worthy of a real man.

[Solly Mack]

44. I could mock him, but I won't. I mean, men do come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of hotness.

[LymphocyteLover]

31. When did he make these remarks? If it was a while ago then we could cut some slack though

he doesn't seem to be apologizing is more disturbing

[Solly Mack]

43. The lack of an apology gave me pause too.

[orleans]

36. "Does he mean let more people in who think as he does?" -- it sounds like it to me

what a disappointment

why didn't he just come out and say: "i wish the democrat party would welcome more sexist assholes like myself"

ugh!


and if he thinks he's some hot shit stud he is horribly fucked in the head

(imo)

[Solly Mack]

45. I'm sure I wouldn't meet his definition of hot. Thankfully.

[Skittles]

50. as with Trump

he really should not be critiquing ANYONE'S appearance

[Solly Mack]

57. I was wondering since dem men look like women and he is a dem man, does he think he looks like a woman?

Because that sounds like he is projecting his own insecurities onto the rest of us.

[H2O Man]

61. I could be wrong,

but I'm convinced that the spider webs in his head read "some pig."

[Solly Mack]

62. heh

[Tikki]

23. I wonder what trump looks like to Gallego.

Let's hear it from him...

Tikki

[milestogo]

24. Glad I never sent him any money.

[LymphocyteLover]

32. I've heard a Dem say something similar. But there's too much shit going on for this to be a major issue

for Dems to have it as a talking point

[ALBliberal]

26. F him and I am so sorry for anyone that sent him money or

voted for him. jackass.

[iluvtennis]

29. I was one those who donated to his campaign. So disappointed. n/t

[ALBliberal]

30. Hey I was previously impressed by the guy

HE is So fickle and short sighted

But you my friend? I was taken in just like you.

But we? Have good hearts and we will continue to believe in goodness

[AllyCat]

28. 😡

[Kali]

34. disappointing

[Polybius]

38. I'm sorry, but how is this not all over the news?

The article is days old, and this is the first time I'm hearing of it. Why was it barely covered? I would have loved to have posted this in LBN for more exposure.

[maxsolomon]

58. Because there's a lot of other news

and it just wasn't strong enough to fight for space?

[Polybius]

59. But when Fetterman says something even mildly controversial, it's all over the news n/t

[maxsolomon]

63. Well, clearly, the news is biased in favor of Gallego

and against Fetterman.

[spudspud]

39. Trojan horse?

Party flip coming when needed by repubs?

[wolfie001]

40. Rep. Grijalva looks great! What a stupid thing to say

First Sinema and now this guy.

[regnaD kciN]

41. Do we HAVE to always have a DINO as a Senator from Arizona???

[lostnfound]

42. What a pitifully shallow individual.

Disgusting to belittle people over their looks. Is he over the age of 15? I think he found the wrong party.

[TommyT139]

46. Sexist comments -- and denying civil rights to trans folks

Not consistent with Dem party values.

[Coventina]

48. Disappointing, but better than Kari Lake. n/t

[fujiyamasan]

49. The texts are cringey

But meh, he’s not Synema, or worse yet Kari Lake.

[Luciferous]

52. Just looked up a picture of him and

he really shouldn't be commenting on anyone's looks.

[in2herbs]

53. He loves crypto. Another reason I'd never vote for him. It just keeps getting worse for him. I live in AZ. nt

[Ferrets are Cool]

54. I'm so glad someone posted about this shit. It's worse than disgusting.

[Oneironaut]

56. Cringe

If these statements were written, and, you didn’t know who wrote them, who would be the more likely author: Ruben Gallego, or, a teenage boy?

This is super cringeworthy.

[SunImp]

60. Not a good look

I'm surprised there wasn't a lot of crying about Dem bashing or manufactured anger over purity.

[BannonsLiver]

64. Meh.