Is This Dallas Candidate Implying That Guns Are the Solution to Trans People Peeing?

Conservative Candidate’s Campaign Materials Seem to Suggest Open Campus Carry Can Protect Students Against ‘Men in Women’s Bathrooms’

A Dallas candidate’s campaign materials appear to imply guns are necessary to protect against transgender people who use public restrooms according to their gender identity.

Brad Underwood, a candidate for the board of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), is making headlines for a campaign flier (below) featuring a photo of a man with a beard in a bra that states: “He can now share the same bathroom or locker room as your daughter or granddaughter thanks to the DCCCD trustees.” 

As horrific as the flier may be, Underwood’s campaign website appears to contain an even more dangerous message. Here’s what it says under “Issues”:

“I will fight to protect the safety of students, faculty and the natural right to self-defense – 

In 2012, the Dallas County Community College District Board of Trustees decided 4-1-2 (4 trustees in favor, 1 against, 2 abstaining) to a policy of making bathrooms and locker rooms transgender. What does this mean? Men do not belong in the ladies restrooms or locker rooms. We’ve seen examples across the country where sexual predators have used this to their advantage, even though assurances were given that our wives and daughters would not be in danger.

… If elected, I will not vote for policies that put your daughter or granddaughter at risk. I will also fight for your daughter to protect herself while on campus with Texas’ new Campus Carry law.” 

Candidate Campaigning on ‘Taxes, Tuition and Transgender’ 

Underwood’s website also features photos of him alongside Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and actor Chuck Norris. The outgoing message on his cell phone voicemail states that his three issues are, “Taxes, tuition and transgender.” 

Underwood (photo, top, at a campaign event with Gov. Greg Abbott,) did not respond to telephone and email messages from NCRM seeking comment about whether he’s advocating violence against trans people in public restrooms, or suggesting guns are a solution to trans people in public restrooms.

If he is, he would not be the first Dallas-area candidate to do so. Tracy Murphree, the GOP candidate for sheriff of Denton County, north of Dallas, wrote on Facebook last month: 

“This whole bathroom thing is craziness I have never seen. All I can say is this: If my little girl is in a public women’s restroom and a man, regardless of how he may identify, goes into the bathroom, he will then identify as a John Doe until he wakes up in whatever hospital he may be taken to. Your identity does not trump my little girl’s safety. I identify as an overprotective father that loves his kids and would do anything to protect them”

In any case, Underwood’s disgusting flier appears to have backfired, angering local parents and exposing possible campaign finance issues. 

The flier states that it was paid for by “A Better Dallas County Community College District,” a political action committee that has raised $10,000 from a single donor. However, campaign finance reports list the PAC’s mailing address is the same as Underwood’s. 

“While I didn’t seek them out, I was glad to have their endorsement,” Underwood told WFAA-TV.

Asked why the PAC’s address is the same as his, he added: “I’ll have to take a look at it and see. I have a lot of help. … I have several people working on my campaign. Somebody could have put something on there that doesn’t belong there.” 

Wednesday afternoon the PAC’s website displayed a new message: “Due to a security breach, this website is locked and has no content.”

Underwood wants to repeal the community college district’s 2012 nondiscrimination policy, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. But a spokeswoman for the district told WFAA the policy doesn’t address restroom use. 

Teia Collier, a mother who lives in the district, called the flier “ugly and not nice,” adding that it could force her to have a conversation with her children that she’s not ready to have.  

Rafael McDonnell, a spokesman for Dallas’ LGBT community center, called the flier “factually inaccurate, intellectually dishonest and sleazy politics.”

The Dallas Morning News reports that an identical flier was sent out by a candidate in another DCCD race, Dorothy Zimmermann. 

 

Image of Underwood via Facebook 
Flier image screenshot via WFAA