Madison Cawthorn is not the loudest newish member of Congress. He’s no Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert. But he tries. News stories involving him tend to be outside-the-box: tickets for driving infractions; claims of cocaine and orgies in D.C.; former staffers calling him a “bad person.” Speaking of, on Friday Politico published photos given to them by “a person formerly close to Cawthorn and his campaign.” What do they show? Why, they show the hyper-masculine, anti-LGBTQIA+ representative in women’s lingerie.
“I was raised on Proverbs and pushups.”
— Madison Cawthorn https://t.co/LvosHM2MyT— Katie Phang (@KatiePhang) April 22, 2022
The two photos, Cawthorn later revealed (while effectively confirming their veracity), were taken years ago, “waaay before I ran for Congress.” He claimed they were “goofy vacation photos” taken during a cruise, though he did not say when. He also attacked “the left,” who, he said, are “running out of things to throw at me.”
I guess the left thinks goofy vacation photos during a game on a cruise (taken waaay before I ran for Congress) is going to somehow hurt me?
They're running out of things to throw at me…
Share your most embarrassing vacay pics in the replies🤦♂️https://t.co/YicRk0Albu
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) April 22, 2022
The images inevitably turned a lot of heads. Some argued that they revealed a double standard at play — that a prominent rightwinger who preaches hypermasculinity and denounces gay and trans people is also not above dressing in women’s clothing.
We’re cool with the gender-bending lingerie pics, Madison.
We’re NOT cool with your hateful rhetoric and your legislative goals aimed at eliminating the civil rights of LGBTQ people.
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) April 22, 2022
https://t.co/bS1zONQpZ6 pic.twitter.com/M8ib605qpQ
— Jen Marie🌻 (@JenM5157) April 22, 2022
I don't care that Madison Cawthorn likes to wear lingerie in his free time. It doesn't bother me, and it doesn't affect me. If he wants to be playful with gender expression, it's his life.
I do care that Madison Cawthorn attacks trans people and shames us for living our lives.
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) April 22, 2022
Madison Cawthorn tweeted this four days ago.
I can't emphasize enough how exhausting it is to be a trans person right now. https://t.co/2OrgAh8EP0
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) April 23, 2022
Others dwelled on his suggestion that they were leaked by the left, not by yet another person who was once close to him and no longer is.
These weren't leaked by the left…
And I wish the left would remain laser focused on your repulsive political views. https://t.co/XIjNz1Fu1F
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 22, 2022
Some took his suggestion and shared “embarrassing vacay pics,” though not of themselves.
https://twitter.com/Eric_Williams_1/status/1517626294661525505
We are also NOT cool with your apparently identifying with Adolph Hitler when you visited his Eagle’s Nest retreat to cross it off your “bucket list”: pic.twitter.com/yfxzxDANmc
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) April 22, 2022
There were lots of jokes, including one involving Tucker Carlson’s wackadoodle forthcoming documentary The End of Men.
So you were cruising at the time https://t.co/tfmVT3e16F
— Keith Olbermann⌚️ (@KeithOlbermann) April 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/AnandWrites/status/1517636203486617601
The Madison Cawthorn pics are so spicy that Ted Cruz might fave them
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 22, 2022
The End of Men@TuckerCarlson https://t.co/rfNVs8gPPt
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 22, 2022
But some actually liked the pics.
Most likable thing he’s ever done https://t.co/xmx2QQQgLl
— noah kulwin (@nkulw) April 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1517633196673933312
(Via Politico)