Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore
Social media users worry that Sen. Ted Cruz's decision to share the name and workplace of a transgender teacher puts the individual at risk.
This time, the rabidly anti-LGBTQ+ Texas Republican invaded the privacy of a transgender preschool teacher by exposing his personal details on social media.
Cruz was among several conservatives who this week retweeted a social media post from right-wing economist and political organizer Phil Kerpen, which included screen shots of an email sent to the parents of kids enrolled at an exclusive Washington D.C. preschool, news site LGBTQ Nation reports.
The email informed parents that a transgender teacher at the school was pregnant. It included tips on how to explain pregnancy to their kids, especially since some may associate pregnancies with only certain genders, according to LGBTQ Nation.
The screenshot of the email exposed the teacher's name and school, meaning Cruz shared those sensitive details with his 5.3 million followers. Kerpen's tweet has since been deleted, but the senator's remains up — only now without the sensitive data attached.
Since Cruz first shared retweeted Kerpen, Twitter users have dogpiled the senator over his decision to reveal the teacher's identity, warning that it could expose a private citizen to harassment and violence.
"Why would someone with 5 mil followers retweet this very private story," questioned Twitter user @heart_stamper. "If you want to praise this school for handling a sensitive situation with dignity and intelligence you can do so, but you should redact the name. More likely you know exactly what risk you've invited."Why would someone with 5 mil followers retweet this very private story? If you want to praise this school for handling a sensitive situation with dignity and intelligence you can do so, but you should redact the names.
— Carolyn H (@heart_stamper) October 18, 2022
More likely you know exactly what risk you’ve invited 😡
"Sir, you are a sitting U.S. Senator. You need to behave with the decorum that title demands rather than putting individual citizens in danger for some base points in an imaginary culture war," Tweeted @CunninghamMLPS. "This is beneath the office you hold. Shame on you. These are real people with families."Sir, you are a sitting US Senator. You need to behave with the decorum that title demands rather than putting individual citizens in danger for some base points in an imaginary culture war. This is beneath the office you hold. Shame on you. These are real people with families.
— PMC (@CunninghamMPLS) October 19, 2022
There's been a rise in violence by far-right extremists against the transgender community across the nation in recent months. In September, Boston Children's Hospital was the victim of an onslaught of threats regarding the facility's treatment of transgender youth.
In Texas, a bar in the Dallas suburb of Denton canceled a Disney-themed drag brunch event last month after neo-nazi groups accused the establishment of "grooming children, even though the brunch was a 21-and-up event.
Neither the school nor Cruz was available for immediate comment.
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