ICYMI: How JD Vance Betrayed His Transgender Friend for the Sake of His Political Ambition

According to the story, as Nelson progressed in their gender transition during their friendship, Vance communicated to his classmate that while he didn't understand what they were doing, he fully supported their decision to live as their authentic self. He also provided Nelson with a gift of baked goods following a transition-related procedure, a stunning contrast to the hateful anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that he and others spewed at this year's Republican National Convention.

Other revelations from the piece:

• Vance wrote Nelson a sincere, heartfelt apology for mis-identifying them in his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, admitting ignorance and stating "I recognize now that this may not accurately reflect how you think of yourself, and for that I am really sorry," he wrote. "I hope you're not offended, but if you are, I'm sorry! Love you, JD."

• In 2014, Vance criticized the now late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, telling Nelson that "He's become a very shrill old man. I used to really like him, and I used to believe all of his stuff about judicial minimalism was sincere. Now I see it as a political charade."

• Vance supported criminal justice reforms and expressed empathy with people of color, saying " I hate the police" and "Given the number of negative experiences [with law enforcement] I've had in the past few years, I can't imagine what a Black guy goes through."

• Vance wished Nelson a Happy Pride and attended a parade in San Francisco, telling Nelson that it was nice to "see a lot of happy people" who were in attendance

• Vance called Trump out for being a "demagogue," expressing outrage and fear for Muslim-Americans as his racist presidential campaign commenced in 2015, "I'm obviously outraged at Trump's rhetoric, and I worry most of all about how welcome Muslim citizens feel in their own country," Vance wrote to Nelson. "And there have always been demagogues willing to exploit the people who believe crazy (expletive)."

Vance also penned a piece for the New York Times in 2016, stating that "The more white people feel like voting for Trump, the more Black people will suffer. I really believe that." Vance was not only critical of Trump for his history of racism, but also said that, "I've been very critical of other Repubs for the L.G.B.T.Q. issue, especially Rick Perry," referring to the former Texas governor. Not long after joining the U.S. Senate, Vance set out to hold up State Department nominees over his objections to their pro-LGBTQ+ policy views, going as far as to send a MAGA litmus test questionnaire forcing them to describe their views on diversity, Pride flags, and gender neutral restrooms.

Full review of the New York Times piece can be found here.