--- title: "JD Vance Drag Photos: Another Lesson In ‘Main Character’ Internet" description: "Two leaked photos appear to show GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance dressed in drag while he was at Yale Law School, which is yet more proof that being the main character online is a curse deserved only by a select few. Posted on X-formerly-Twitter by influencer Matt Bernstein, better known by their handle \"mattxiv,\" […]" date: "2024-08-12" modified: "2024-08-12" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/jd-vance-drag-photos" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "bigotry" - "donald trump" - "jd vance" - "politics" - "the digest" --- # JD Vance Drag Photos: Another Lesson In ‘Main Character’ Internet ![Two leaked photos appear to show GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance dressed in drag while he was at Yale Law School.]() *\Image: @mattxiv via X\* ## Main Character Syndrome Two leaked photos appear to show GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance dressed in drag during his time Yale Law School, which is yet more proof that [being the main character]() online is nothing if not a cataclysmic affair that discriminates against no one. Posted on [X-formerly-Twitter by influencer Matt Bernstein](), better known by their handle "mattxiv," the dispo[@mattxiv]() via Xsable camera-quality photos show someone who almost certainly is Vance ([né James Donald Bowman]()) wearing a long blonde wig, a black t-shirt with a lengthy silver necklace, and a bohemian-esque brown skirt in a series of faux-modeling poses. Though incriminating photos of politicians and other public figures have become almost commonplace, these snaps — which a Vance spokesperson did not deny depicted the senator [when contacted by the *Daily Beast*]() — are particularly curious not just for the fact of their leaking, but because the Yale man in question has built his support among Republicans by [denigrating queer and trans people](). https://www.twitter.com/mattxiv/status/1822675676295536832 ## Dangerous Trajectory As an art form, drag [dates back to at least the 19th century]() and — despite being associated with modern LGBTQ culture — doesn't suggest anything besides a person's gender or sexuality. In fact, dressing in drag was a [somewhat problematic staple for cisgender male comedians]() until quite recently — when people of JD Vance's political persuasion made it a staple of arguments about American morality. Obviously, we don't know the circumstances behind these photos that seem very likely to depict the name and [platform-changing]() freshman senator from Ohio. What we do know is — according to a former friend of Vance's from Yale who spoke to the *New York Times* — Vance at one point was reportedly so supportive of a trans friend's gender-affirming surgery, he [brought them homemade baked goods]() while they were recovering. How one goes from baking their friend top surgery treats to [calling trans people "groomers"]() seems like an obvious matter of political expediency, but given the [dangerous trajectory]() Vance has taken, this will likely serve as a much larger-than-normal scale lesson about the dangers of hypocrisy (and [milkshake ducking)]() that the rest of America, no matter their politics, stands to benefit from. **More on JD Vance:** [*"JD Vance Couch" Searches Outpace "Trump Shooting" Queries on Google*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()