During his acceptance speech as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee on Wednesday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz shared a deeply personal story about his family’s struggle with infertility. As he concluded by saying, “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you,” the camera caught his 17-year-old son Gus standing up, tears in his eyes, pointing to his father and exclaiming, “That’s my dad!”
It was a sweet display of familial love and pride — a rare moment of raw emotion in the ordinarily carefully choreographed world of political conventions. For many viewers, it was surely a timely reminder of the human beings behind the political personas we see on stage.
However, what should have been universally recognized as a beautiful father-son moment quickly became fodder for cruel mockery from pro-Trump social media accounts. The contrast between Gus Walz’s sincere emotion and the derision it provoked from the right offers a troubling glimpse into the state of political discourse and the depths to which partisan attacks have sunk. This not only highlights the lack of basic human decency in certain right-wing corners of our politics but also raises important questions about how conservatives view emotional expression, particularly from young men, in the public sphere.
Not only is Gus a minor, but he’s also neurodivergent. People recently ran a story about the Walz family and what Tim and Gwen Walz have come to refer to as Gus’s “secret power" — a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and anxiety disorder.
Tim Walz told People:
["When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates," the couple tell PEOPLE. "Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself."
The statement continues: "When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have."]
It’s a sweet article that makes the attacks that would follow Gus’s display of emotion that much more unacceptable.
Anti-LGBTQ activist Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project mocked Gus Walz, writing, “Tim Walz’ son Gus wears eyeliner.”
Prominent pro-Trump Twitter accounts Dom Lucre, Colin Rugg, and Autism Capital all mocked the 17-year-old.
“Get that kid a tampon already,” wrote a right-wing podcaster Alec Lace.
Trump ally Mike Crispi called Gus Walz a “beta bitch.”
Right-wing radio host Jay Weber called Gus Walz a “blubbering bitch boy.”
Ann Coulter called Gus Walz “weird.”
You get the idea.
Right-wing beta losers doing what they do best: insult people.
“From that first occurrence of mocking a disabled journalist to the latest events, Trump has role-modeled disgusting, deplorable behavior for his Trumpanzees to follow.“
Read “Bullying Tim Walz’s Neurodivergent Son is Completely Unacceptable“ by Jason Provencio on Medium: https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/bullying-tim-walzs-neurodivergent-son-is-completely-unacceptable-85ff32cfb954
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