OPINION | George Santos’ denial was really nasty

But as soon as news broke that our favorite Congressional dissembler apparently had a previous life as “Kitara Ravache,” he felt the need to step forward and deny the whole thing. I got

What disappointed me more, the possibility that he never really was a drag performer, or, if true, that he felt the need to deny it.

Why did Santos (RN.Y.) react so strongly to this particular controversy? was there?

Santos’ ex-friend, Brazilian drag queen Eura Rochard, posted a photo on Instagram of herself appearing to be with the young man then known as Anthony. The photo shows him in a lovely red off-the-shoulder sequin dress, a brunette wig, and a pair of dangling earrings.

All of this could turn out to be a “deep fake” and Santos could sadly live a life without earrings. But another source cited by Reuters admitted that the young Santos had aspired to become Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro during the same period.

For his part, the congressman said the allegations were “absolutely false” and added that he was “not distracted or upset by this.”

When faced with a long string of fabrications, from claiming to have been a college volleyball star who never joined his story of previously working for Goldman Sachs, he said he needed to do it. I never felt it. response It’s not just “I have a story to tell and it will be told next week.” He didn’t really try.

But accusations that he once acted in drugs – which would make him a completely normal Rudy Giuliani sidekick – were clearly intolerable.

To me, when I look at the photo, the person in it looks great, as the records show, but I can’t help but think of Chico Marx’s (not Groucho’s) lines. ?”

My disappointment that Santos decided I needed to deny something that, unlike his lies, wasn’t actually something to be ashamed of, got deeper the more I thought about it. There is a metaphor about “deception” in the national conversation surrounding people in Some kind of fictitious conspiracy to hurt women.

Santos isn’t transgender, but it doesn’t do any good to incorporate this new element into the larger narrative of Congressmen as liars and deceivers. It’s a metaphor.

It also doesn’t help that my fellow progressives find a lot of fun in Santos’ drag stories. The ostensible entertainment is to crush him once again for his hypocrisy. But I think there’s something deeper and meaner in the laughter, as if the only thing that might unite Republicans and Democrats is their shared disdain for men in dresses. increase.

But it is the Republicans who are trying to turn that contempt into national policy. In a season where the Republican Party seems to have no policy agenda other than sabotage, drag his opposition to the Queen seems to be one of the few things the current Republican Party actually believes in.

Santos was elected last fall as the first gay Republican to serve in Congress. Despite some of his real politics, it seemed like a good thing on the surface. The more queer people in Congress, the more likely our voices will be heard . Also, the more gay Republicans are in Congress, the more likely Republican members will come to understand that sexual orientation and gender identity are not unique to liberals. We are all.

After all, there is no such thing as “despite real politics.” Upon arriving in Congress, Santos seemed inclined to attend the House Liberal caucuses. It will be a group of conservative legislators committed to rolling back marriage equality and job protection for LGBTQ Americans, among other things. The proposal to be is believed to be part of a (actually fictitious) program to “groom” children to be gay, lesbian, or trans.

No one can “turn” a child to be gay, just as no one can “turn” a child straight. What you can do is “transform” someone from a bigotry into someone who accepts all the different ways of being human.

With the latest twist on his story, George Santos has had the opportunity to make people think twice about him. It was a fun time and I believe that everyone has the right to pursue their dreams, whether they are part of my LGBTQ community or other marginalized groups seeking full equality under the law. We want you to know that you support ”

He could have said that, and for a moment it regained a bit of the respect he had lost since the election.

But he didn’t. The crowd he is going to join is more concerned with breaking than enacting laws, because there is no place in their hearts for someone who is different. Because the crowd he’s about to join isn’t all that concerned with whether what’s written there is true or not.