Rep. Vindman (D-VA) Posts Happy Pride After Voting To Defund Trans-Friendly Schools

“I expect it from the right but from supposed progressives, it's not just disappointing; it's disgraceful,” one commenter wrote amidst the backlash.

Eugene Vindman (D-Virginia) // Instagram

Congressman Eugene Vindman, of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, is not having a very festive LGBTQ Pride Month so far.

In late May, Vindman was one of eight Democrats who voted in favor of the deceptively-named “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act” (H. R. 2616), breaking with the party to join Republicans in pushing the bill through the House.

So when his Bluesky account made a Pride Month post on social media, it caused a stir.

“Do you think that we’ve forgotten about that vote,” one Bluesky user wrote in response. “[Y]a know the one that will establish a national don’t say gay bill. Pretty vile to assume you could still celebrate pride with us.” [sic]

“The lack of moral courage and basic human decency to stand against persecution from so many is utterly contemptible,” wrote another user in response. “I expect it from the right but from supposed progressives, it’s not just disappointing; it’s disgraceful.”

The anti-trans provision at the center of this backlash would forcibly out gender diverse kids to their parents, forbid gender self-identification in schools without parental consent, and restrict schools that “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology.”

The term is a right-wing dog whistle, originating from Christian extremists, for anything that acknowledges the existence of the LGBTQ community. It is intentionally vague and broad; it could in theory be construed to apply not only to curricula but also to after-school clubs, school libraries with books depicting gender diversity, even teachers sharing their own pronouns.

Meanwhile, content “teaching” or “advancing” concepts that reinforce cis-heteronormativity as an ideology would seemingly remain kosher.

Caption: A section of H.R. 2616.

“With his vote, Rep. Vindman has turned his back on transgender students, their parents, and their teachers in his district,” Narissa Rahaman, executive director of Equality Virginia, said in a statement to The Advocate.

“No member of the Equality Caucus”—which is dedicated to advancing LGBTQ rights in the legislature— “should vote in support of a bill that would require schools to forcibly out transgender students,” Rahaman said. “This administration has been weaponizing parents’ rights to undermine inclusive school environments, and is particularly focused at eroding protections for trans students.”

Caption: A section of H.R. 2616.

The forced outing policy/Don’t Say Trans bill will now head to the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority. Still, Democrats are expected to filibuster to prevent the bill from becoming law.

Vindman was one of eight Democrats who voted for what is formally known as H.R. 2616 alongside Republicans. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Cleo Fields of Louisiana, Laura Gillen of New York, Vicente González of Texas, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington also broke from the party to push the bill over the line. Like Vindman, Reps. Gluesenkamp Perez and Gillen are also members of the Equality Caucus.

Such bills have exploded in recent years. Flying under the false flag of “parental rights,” forced outing practices put queer youth in danger. One 2023 study out of the Journal of Research on Adolescence found that young LGBTQ people who were forcibly outed to parents “reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower amounts of LGBTQ family support” than queer youth who were not forcibly outed. Forced outing can lead to retaliatory, dangerous abuse from parents.

So when Vindman’s account sent out the otherwise innocuous Pride message, the Internet, of course, was quick to react—Harvard cyberlaw instructor Alejandra Caraballo bestowed the Congressman with the “Rainbow Frog of Shame” meme.

“If the rainbow frog of shame gets more likes than the original post, then your post really sucks,” the reply post reads.

As of publishing, Vindman’s post had a couple dozen likes. Caraballo’s had thousands.