JD Vance's trans ex-friend: Republicans don't hate trans people, they're just 'engaging in opportunism'

To those who once knew him, JD Vance has "turned his back on his values."

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The Republican vice president candidate hasn't always held such extreme views. Past messages between Vance and Sofia Nelson, an out trans public defender, reveal that the politician not only supported his friend through their transition, but once hated the man he's now campaigning with.

After releasing the messages publicly, Nelson has opened up about their former friendship with Vance and his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, all of whom met during their time at Yale University. Nelson told the Detroit Free Press that they are "heartbroken by the transformation that they've decided to undergo."

"[Vance] never exhibited the kind of cruelty that he exhibits now in his public persona. That really changed when he decided to reconstitute himself as a MAGA Republican," Nelson said. "So it wasn't just his position on LGBTQ+ issues or immigration or police brutality that's completely changed ... Every conceivable issue he's changed his position on, but he's also changed the way he talks about people."

Nelson explained that "there was no path forward for him as a never-Trumper," which sparked the politician to change not only "his position on every imaginable issue, but also his tone." This led to the Vance that the GOP is now backing, who "mimics Donald Trump with this cruelty and name calling."

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To Nelson, Vance's sudden shift "shows a lack of core values or a willingness to turn your back on core values to advance your career and amass money." They said that the "hypocrisy is deeply concerning, and the American people have a right to know where he used to stand on the issues compared to where he stands today so they can evaluate for themselves whether he's trustworthy."

Nelson also had a message for transgender people — particularly transgender youth — who have been increasingly under attack in state legislatures and even directly "demonized" by Vance. Ultimately, they said that the fight against conservative attacks on trans inclusion and health care is about "freedom" and "choice."

"We need to trust medical providers, parents and the children to make these decisions for themselves," they said. "This is about freedom. It's about choice. Every parent loves their child unconditionally, and is going to be be cautious and thoughtful in making these decisions, but parents are best equipped to make those decisions, and to try to deny them that freedom, I think, is deeply concerning."

"What I want trans kids to know — because I was a trans kid once, and it was deeply scary to think that there was something wrong with me that was going to prevent me from leading a full and happy life — I want trans kids to know that these politicians, they don't actually think you're bad," Nelson continued. "They don't actually believe there's anything wrong with you. They're engaging in opportunism to win elections. I know that because he was very loving and respectful of a trans person in his life, and is now choosing to use trans kids as a political ploy."