Politics
Ted Cruz Uses Antigay Slur While Slamming LGBTQ-Inclusive Army Ad
Cruz objected to an Army recruting video featuring a woman soldier raised by two moms.
May 21 2021 2:40 PM EST
May 31 2023 4:56 PM EST
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Cruz objected to an Army recruting video featuring a woman soldier raised by two moms.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is continuing his anti-LGBTQ+ ways, attacking an Army recruiting video that showcases a service member raised by two mothers and saying Democrats are trying to turn the military into "pansies."
The video is part of a series titled "The Calling," which features a diverse group of soldiers, several who are people of color or from immigrant families, and one who overcame learning issues. The entry that really roused Cruz's ire tells the story of Cpl. Emma Malonelord, a white woman brought up by two moms in California.
It portrays her marching for LGBTQ+ rights, attending her mothers' wedding, and talking about her admiration for strong, adventurous women, which fueled her decision to join the Army. The videos are largely animated but show the real-life soldiers as well.
Cruz, a Republican from Texas and a onetime presidential aspirant, Thursday retweeted a TikTok video that contained clips of Malonelord's video along with portions of a Russian military recruiting ad showing male soldiers with shaved heads doing push-ups. He commented, "Perhaps a woke, emasculated military wasn't the best idea." Cruz has often objected to women being in combat.
\u201cHoly crap.\n\nPerhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea....\u201d— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1621522890
After that tweet received much negative reaction, he tweeted that he wasn't attacking the military. "We have the greatest military on earth, but Dem politicians & woke media are trying to turn them into pansies," he wrote. While seldom used today, "pansy" was once widely utilized as a slur for gay men.
\u201cI\u2019m enjoying lefty blue checkmarks losing their minds over this tweet, dishonestly claiming that I\u2019m \u201cattacking the military.\u201d\n\nUh, no. We have the greatest military on earth, but Dem politicians & woke media are trying to turn them into pansies.\n\nThe new Dem videos are terrible.\u201d— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1621568748
Cruz's comments have received extensive pushback, including from Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a decorated military veteran. Some of those criticizing Cruz have brought up his fealty to Donald Trump, even after Trump insulted Cruz's wife and suggested that the senator's father, Rafael Cruz, may have been involved in President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and others have mentioned his trip to Cancun, Mexico, while Texas was going through a devastating cold wave. The hashtag #emasculaTED has been trending on Twitter.
\u201cHoly crap. \n\nPerhaps a U.S. Senator shouldn't suggest that the *Russian* military is better than the American military that protected him from an insurrection he helped foment?\u201d— Tammy Duckworth (@Tammy Duckworth) 1621553622
\u201cTed Cruz attacks a US Army soldier for telling her story, says he prefers Russians. Because Ted Cruz is a sedition-loving traitor.\u201d— VoteVets (@VoteVets) 1621535667
\u201cTed Cruz is now saying that the media and Dems are trying to turn the military into "pansies". He needs to stop cutting on our military. Fuck him and his homophobic tropes.\u201d— Amy Lynn\ud83d\udc07\ud83d\udc80 (@Amy Lynn\ud83d\udc07\ud83d\udc80) 1621601219
\u201cI\u2019m still laughing about Ted Cruz calling the US Military emasculated.\n\nActually, Ted Cruz unironically using the word \u201cemasculated\u201d at all is hilarious.\n\nThis hang nail of a human kissed the ass of a bully who called his wife ugly and accused his dad of murder!\n\nWhat a putz!\u201d— Jason Kander (@Jason Kander) 1621567431
\u201cIn the last few months, Ted Cruz abandoned Texans dying in the cold. He validated an insurrection that left a cop dead. And he shared Russian propaganda shitting on the US military.\n\nBesides defending the guy who called his wife ugly, is there anyone Cruz actually cares about?\u201d— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1621546632
\u201cBrian Williams dubbed Ted Cruz #KremlinCruz and said this about him complaining about our military forces being emasculated: \u201cCruz never served, but he did go to Princeton and Harvard Law Schools...and briefly to Cancun.\u201d\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 #11thHourShade\u201d— 11thHourShade (@11thHourShade) 1621570659
\u201c@tedcruz Ted \u201cThank you sir, may I have another insult\u201d Cruz accusing our military of turning into \u201cpansies\u201d...\u201d— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1621568748
\u201cAm I surprised that @TedCruz is mocking our military as "emasculated"? No.\n\nThis is the coward who wouldn't even stand beside his own wife when Trump publicly talked shit about her.\u201d— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1621540350
\u201cHi Texas Republicans! Did you know your \u201cSenator\u201d @tedcruz is tweeting out Russian propaganda videos to disparage women who serve in our Armed Forces? Ashamed yet of voting for this asshole? You should be. For your vote. And for your silence. #EmasculaTED \nhttps://t.co/8OuWaHStlA\u201d— Mikko Alanne (@Mikko Alanne) 1621569088