A Trinity University student sets up his table with flags, flyers and stickers to hand out to his fellow students on Trans Day of Visibility.
Mail from a mysterious group claiming to represent transgender students riled Texas voters as early voting began.
But the Texas Transgender Student Union that sent the pamphlets and similar text messages sent to voters earlier this month appears to have been formed just a few weeks ago — and is registered as an LLC in Wyoming.
Texas transgender advocacy groups have denied sending the materials, suggesting the materials may come from someone hoping to whip up Republican voters, rather than offering help to transgender youth as they claim to do.
Article continues below this ad
“A legitimate group doesn’t send something like that from a fake address with a fake name, especially on the first day of early voting,” said Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican and former speaker of the Texas House.
This mysterious group emerged as Republicans again capitalized on warnings that Democrats were supporting gender-affirming care for children as they sought to increase voter turnout in what appears to be a highly competitive midterm.
The group’s “Texas Trans & LGBTQ+ Student Resource Guide” appears to have been sent in recent days to many former GOP voters, including a handful of prominent right-wing influencers who posted images of themselves Monday. The pamphlet appears to be written for students and encourages those considering hormones or gender-affirming care to reach out to trusted organizations before trying to find medications on their own. It includes websites for the Transgender Education Network of Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups.
Article continues below this ad
“This was sent to my house. Addressed to the ‘students’ in our Texas Transgender Student Union family,” wrote Sara Gonzales, a conservative commentator with more than 500,000 followers on THIS IS BAD!!!!”
The letters follow a text message that was also sent to many GOP voters last week that offered a “comprehensive guide to bathrooms and beyond for trans kids in school.” It included a link to the Transgender Education Network of Texas website. But TENT, which is a real advocacy group established in 2010, said it did not send the texts and sent cease-and-desist letters to two digital messaging companies it said were involved.
Nonetheless, the texts sparked outrage among Republicans, with state Rep. Jeff Leach of Plano writing to the attorney general’s office to request an investigation.
Leach did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but previously told the Texas Tribune that he wants “a diligent search for the truth, wherever that search may lead.”
TENT has since updated its website with a message stating that the mailers are also not “created, authorized, approved, or distributed by TENT and are not affiliated with our organization.”
Article continues below this ad
The site also includes a gif of Mariah Carey with the text: “Why are you so obsessed with me?”
Online, speculation began spreading Tuesday morning that the messages were not what they appeared to be.
The Texas Transgender Student Union LLC that sent the letters was registered in Wyoming on Sept. 2, according to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website. Requests for information sent to an email address included in the LLC’s filings received no response Tuesday.
The group’s address in Sheridan, Wyoming, is the same one used by 26 registered sales agents representing nearly 300,000 of Wyoming’s 830,000 limited liability companies, according to The Sheridan Press.
These registered agents allow businesses to form LLCs in Wyoming without having a physical address there. The Sheridan Press reported that the system creates a loophole for individuals to set up fraudulent operations and set up shell companies with a Wyoming address.
Article continues below this ad
The revelations sparked feuds among Republicans online.
“Imagine being more outraged by the person who sent it than by the content itself!” wrote Cristin Bentley, a former state Republican executive committee member. “Let’s be clear: TENT’s toolkit and predatory intent are REAL. The content is disturbing.”
Garrett Fulce, a GOP consultant in Houston, responded: “Imagine being so upset about the contents of this mailer and not being LIVID that it gets into the hands of impressionable children because your own side sent it to tens of thousands of homes as a political tactic.”
“No one had ever heard of TENT,” he wrote. “Now they’ve done it. Is it worth it?”
Article continues below this ad
Gn usa
