Did Gina Hinojosa’s “Pronouns” ad mock transgender Texans?
Gina Hinojosa answered Greg Abbott’s anti-transgender attacks with an ad closing “My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor.” Transgender writers said the line mocked them; her campaign said the culture wars are over.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Hinojosa, a state representative from Austin, is running against Abbott in a race that public polling put at 47-47 in mid-September 2026. Abbott’s September 8 release said “Radical Gina would rather trans your kids than protect them” (Texans for Greg Abbott (opens in a new tab)), and his campaign account posted a doctored still from her school ad captioned “Gina wants to turn your local public school into a gender transition camp,” without disclosing the alteration (LGBTQ Nation (opens in a new tab)). The “Pronouns” ad followed on September 9 (Gina Hinojosa for Texas (opens in a new tab)). It landed the same week James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee, told Fox News he opposes transgender athletes in girls’ sports, and the two were widely read together as a party-wide retreat. Transgender and non-binary Texans interviewed by KXAN, among them Jeis Whittaker and Emily Oswin-Welborn, said the messaging dampened their enthusiasm to vote while they still preferred the Democrats to the alternative (KXAN (opens in a new tab)). Abbott’s campaign returned to the subject on September 15.
People in this case
Gina HinojosaDirectly involved
Greg AbbottDirectly involved
Timeline
7 timeline entries on this page. Dates: May 15, 2023 to September 16, 2026
May 2023
1 event
Hinojosa votes against Texas’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors
The Texas House gave final passage to Senate Bill 14, banning puberty blockers, hormone therapy and transition-related surgery for Texans under 18. Hinojosa voted against it. She also opposed House Bill 1106 in 2025, which provides that a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s LGBTQ identity is not abuse or neglect. Greg Abbott’s campaign cites these votes, along with her votes on school and collegiate sports, shared facilities and a binary definition of sex, as the basis for its attacks on her; the criticism of the “Pronouns” ad runs in the opposite direction, and concerns the ad’s wording rather than this record.
[01]88(R) History for SB 14 — Texas Legislature Online
Source excerpt
Relating to prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria and on the use of public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments.
The official Texas Legislature Online record for Senate Bill 14 of the 88th Regular Session, the law banning puberty blockers, hormone therapy and transition-related surgery for Texans under 18. It establishes the bill's subject and that the House passed it on third reading on May 15, 2023 under record vote RV#1688. The page does not itself list individual members' votes, which appear in the House Journal; Hinojosa's vote against the bill is corroborated separately by LGBTQ Nation and by Greg Abbott's own campaign research.
88(R) History for SB 14 — Texas Legislature OnlineBill caption and House floor actions; third reading passed 05/15/2023, record vote RV#1688.[02]GOP gov edits trans flag into opponent's ad & says she'll make schools "gender transition camps"
Source excerpt
The original ad, posted by Hinojosa, involved a video of the candidate speaking with a second grader about her school shutting down. A blurry American flag appears in the foreground. Abbott then posted a screenshot from the conversation. In it, the American flag has been replaced with a far less blurry trans flag.
Reporting that documents both halves of the September 8-9 exchange: Abbott's campaign posting an altered screenshot of Hinojosa's public-schools ad with a transgender pride flag substituted for an American flag and captioned "Gina wants to turn your local public school into a gender transition camp," and Hinojosa's "Pronouns" ad the following day. It also reproduces the Abbott campaign posts and a reader comment criticising the pronouns line. The outlet writes from an explicitly LGBTQ+ advocacy perspective.
GOP gov edits trans flag into opponent's ad & says she'll make schools "gender transition camps" · LGBTQ NationArticle body, including embedded posts from @GinaHinojosaTX and @GovHotWheels_TX dated September 8 and 9, 2026.[03]Gender Bender Gina Supports the Gender Mutilation of Children
Source excerpt
Radical Gina would rather trans your kids than protect them, educate them, or prepare them for a successful future.
Opposition-research release from Greg Abbott's campaign, September 8, 2026, the first of the campaign's transgender-focused attacks on Hinojosa and the material her "Pronouns" ad answered the next day. It lists her votes against SB 14 (2023) and HB 1106 and SB 12 (2025) and characterises them in the campaign's own terms; the quotation is attributed to press secretary Eduardo Leal. This is a paid political advertisement, not neutral analysis.
Gender Bender Gina Supports the Gender Mutilation of Children · Texans for Greg AbbottCampaign press release; quotation attributed to press secretary Eduardo Leal.
1212 days between recorded events
September 2026
6 events
Abbott’s campaign opens a transgender-focused attack on Hinojosa
Incident
Texans for Greg Abbott published an opposition-research release nicknaming Hinojosa “Gender Bender Gina” and listing her votes against Texas restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors and on school gender policy. Press secretary Eduardo Leal said “Radical Gina would rather trans your kids than protect them, educate them, or prepare them for a successful future.”
[03]Gender Bender Gina Supports the Gender Mutilation of Children
Source excerpt
Radical Gina would rather trans your kids than protect them, educate them, or prepare them for a successful future.
Opposition-research release from Greg Abbott's campaign, September 8, 2026, the first of the campaign's transgender-focused attacks on Hinojosa and the material her "Pronouns" ad answered the next day. It lists her votes against SB 14 (2023) and HB 1106 and SB 12 (2025) and characterises them in the campaign's own terms; the quotation is attributed to press secretary Eduardo Leal. This is a paid political advertisement, not neutral analysis.
Gender Bender Gina Supports the Gender Mutilation of Children · Texans for Greg AbbottCampaign press release; quotation attributed to press secretary Eduardo Leal.Abbott’s campaign account posts an altered still from Hinojosa’s schools ad
Claim
Hinojosa posted a video of herself speaking with a second-grader about her school closing, with a blurred American flag in the foreground. Abbott’s campaign account then posted a screenshot of that scene in which the American flag had been replaced with a transgender pride flag, captioned “Gina wants to turn your local public school into a gender transition camp.” The post did not disclose that the image had been altered.
[02]GOP gov edits trans flag into opponent's ad & says she'll make schools "gender transition camps"
Source excerpt
The original ad, posted by Hinojosa, involved a video of the candidate speaking with a second grader about her school shutting down. A blurry American flag appears in the foreground. Abbott then posted a screenshot from the conversation. In it, the American flag has been replaced with a far less blurry trans flag.
Reporting that documents both halves of the September 8-9 exchange: Abbott's campaign posting an altered screenshot of Hinojosa's public-schools ad with a transgender pride flag substituted for an American flag and captioned "Gina wants to turn your local public school into a gender transition camp," and Hinojosa's "Pronouns" ad the following day. It also reproduces the Abbott campaign posts and a reader comment criticising the pronouns line. The outlet writes from an explicitly LGBTQ+ advocacy perspective.
GOP gov edits trans flag into opponent's ad & says she'll make schools "gender transition camps" · LGBTQ NationArticle body, including embedded posts from @GinaHinojosaTX and @GovHotWheels_TX dated September 8 and 9, 2026.Hinojosa releases the “Pronouns” ad
Source release
Gina Hinojosa released a campaign ad titled “Pronouns,” which her campaign said would run statewide and timed to the Republican National Convention meeting in Dallas. Hinojosa is the only speaker: she says Abbott wants to call her too woke while she will run on working people being too broke, closing with “I’m Gina Hinojosa. My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor.” The campaign posted the video to its own Threads account at 10:54 a.m. Central.
[04]NEW AD: "Pronouns" - Hinojosa Fights for Working Families, Abbott Runs Same Old Playbook
Source excerpt
They want to run an entire campaign saying that I'm too woke. Let's roll. I plan to spend an entire campaign focused on the fact that working people are too broke. That's the difference. I'm Gina Hinojosa. My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor.
The Hinojosa campaign's own release announcing the campaign ad titled "Pronouns," published September 9, 2026. It carries the complete ad transcript and is the primary record of the exact wording under dispute. The release says the ad "will run statewide" — a stated plan for the buy rather than a confirmed airing — and times it to the Republican National Convention meeting in Dallas. It frames the ad as a response to Greg Abbott's campaign, which had begun attacking Hinojosa over transgender policy the previous day.
NEW AD: "Pronouns" - Hinojosa Fights for Working Families, Abbott Runs Same Old Playbook · Gina Hinojosa for TexasCampaign press release announcing the statewide ad; full ad transcript.[05]Gina Hinojosa for Texas posts the "Pronouns" ad on Threads
Source excerpt
My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor.
The campaign's own Threads post carrying the ad video, published at 10:54 a.m. Central on September 9, 2026. It is the post Maya Contreras replied to, and it drew more than 6,000 reactions and 1,700 replies. A Threads community note written by another user was attached to the post; its text was not readable without an account and is not relied on here.
Gina Hinojosa for Texas posts the "Pronouns" ad on Threads · Gina Hinojosa for TexasPost video with caption; timestamp 2026-09-09T15:54:12Z.Hinojosa’s campaign responds to questions about transgender voters
Reaction
KXAN reported reactions from transgender and non-binary Texans to the ad and to James Talarico’s separate Fox News remarks, and asked the Hinojosa campaign what her message was to Texas’s transgender voters. The campaign’s communications director answered that the culture wars are over in 2026 and that corporate power had won, without mentioning transgender Texans.
[06]Transgender Texans speak out after Talarico statements, Hinojosa 'pronoun' ad
Source excerpt
Culture wars are over in 2026. 99.9% of us lost, and corporates power won. While we fought each other at Thanksgiving, 15 billionaire tech dudes won; they amassed power and now they are about to blow up the planet if we don't come back together to save ourselves.
KXAN asked the Hinojosa campaign what her message was to Texas's transgender voters after the "Pronouns" ad; the campaign's communications director, who is not named in the piece, answered with this statement. The article also interviews transgender and non-binary Texans by name, including Jeis Whittaker and Emily Oswin-Welborn, and covers James Talarico's separate Fox News remarks the same week. KXAN blocks automated access; the text was read from the syndicated Yahoo News copy recorded in the archived URL.
Transgender Texans speak out after Talarico statements, Hinojosa 'pronoun' ad · KXANArticle body; statement provided to KXAN by the Hinojosa campaign's communications director on September 11, 2026.Abbott’s campaign returns to the subject with a second release
Claim
Texans for Greg Abbott published a second transgender-focused release, citing Hinojosa’s votes on school and collegiate sports, shared facilities and a binary definition of sex. Communications director Catherine Frazier said “Gina Hinojosa’s record is as radical as it is dangerous.”
[07]Gender Bender Gina Wants Men in Your Daughter's Locker Room
Source excerpt
Gina Hinojosa's record is as radical as it is dangerous. She voted to let men in women's locker rooms, boys in girls' sports
Second transgender-focused release from Greg Abbott's campaign, September 15, 2026, six days after Hinojosa's "Pronouns" ad. It cites her votes on school sports (2021), collegiate sports (2023), shared facilities (2025) and a binary definition of sex (2025), characterised in the campaign's own terms, and quotes communications director Catherine Frazier. This is a paid political advertisement, not neutral analysis.
Gender Bender Gina Wants Men in Your Daughter's Locker Room · Texans for Greg AbbottCampaign press release; quotation attributed to communications director Catherine Frazier.Katelyn Burns names the ad in a column on Democratic concessions
Reaction
Journalist Katelyn Burns published an Xtra Magazine column arguing that Democratic candidates conceding ground on transgender policy before the midterms will harm transgender Americans, citing Hinojosa’s ad alongside James Talarico in Texas and Josh Turek in Iowa.
[08]Democratic candidates' transphobia spells disaster for trans people
Source excerpt
Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, spawned an online backlash from some lefty trans posters by appearing to mock pronouns. "My pronouns are mom, Texan and soon-to-be governor," she says in a recent campaign video posted to YouTube. When I made a post on Bluesky pointing out that none of those words are pronouns, and implied that it was wrong to mock trans people's pronouns with this style of joke, a bunch of Bluesky liberals took umbrage.
Signed opinion column by Katelyn Burns, published September 16, 2026 at 1:42 p.m. Eastern. The passage on Hinojosa sits inside a wider argument about Democratic candidates conceding ground on transgender policy; the column's other examples are James Talarico in Texas and Josh Turek in Iowa. Excerpt transcribed from the rendered page.
Democratic candidates' transphobia spells disaster for trans people · Xtra MagazineOpinion column; section beginning "Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor".
Response record
Responses
Latest recorded positions: 7. Dates: September 9, 2026 to September 16, 2026
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(14)
Official statement
NEW AD: "Pronouns" - Hinojosa Fights for Working Families, Abbott Runs Same Old Playbook
Relevant passage: Campaign press release announcing the statewide ad; full ad transcript.
Excerpt
"They want to run an entire campaign saying that I'm too woke. Let's roll. I plan to spend an entire campaign focused on the fact that working people are too broke. That's the difference. I'm Gina Hinojosa. My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor."
About this source
The Hinojosa campaign's own release announcing the campaign ad titled "Pronouns," published September 9, 2026. It carries the complete ad transcript and is the primary record of the exact wording under dispute. The release says the ad "will run statewide" — a stated plan for the buy rather than a confirmed airing — and times it to the Republican National Convention meeting in Dallas. It frames the ad as a response to Greg Abbott's campaign, which had begun attacking Hinojosa over transgender policy the previous day.
- Author
- Gina Hinojosa for Texas
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Chris Geidner: "this is trash — and completely unnecessary"
Relevant passage: Reply to Parker Molloy's thread about the ad, posted 3:03 PM Central, September 9, 2026.
Excerpt
"yeah, this is trash — and completely unnecessary!"
About this source
A short reply within Parker Molloy's thread, which attached a still from the "Pronouns" ad; the referent of "this" is that ad. The post had about 97 likes by September 17. Because the quotation is brief, the surrounding thread is what fixes its target, and the Molloy source record is retained alongside it. Verified in a logged-in browser session.
- Author
- Chris Geidner
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Parker Molloy on Democrats' "anti-trans vice signaling"
Relevant passage: Two-part thread posted 2:13 PM Central, September 9, 2026, with a still of the ad attached; parts marked 1/2 and 2/2 by the author.
Excerpt
"*sigh* I'm getting so tired of Democrats doing weird-ass anti-trans vice signaling to appeal to Republicans."
About this source
Molloy's thread is the most widely shared criticism of the ad on Bluesky, with about 3,100 likes, 342 reposts and 101 quote posts by September 17. The first post attaches a still from the ad; the second names Hinojosa's joke directly. Chris Geidner and other journalists replied in the same thread. Verified in a logged-in browser session; Bluesky post pages return 404 to automated HEAD requests because the site routes client-side.
- Author
- Parker Molloy
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Pronouns — Gina Hinojosa campaign ad
Relevant passage: 15-second spot on Hinojosa's official YouTube channel; closing line at approximately 0:11.
Excerpt
"I'm Gina Hinojosa. My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor."
About this source
The ad itself, posted to Gina Hinojosa's official YouTube channel on September 9, 2026. It runs 15 seconds and had drawn about 1.2 million views by September 17. This is the copy most critics cite; Katelyn Burns's column and several Bluesky posts link to it directly. The Texas Signal described the spot as a digital ad, while the campaign's own release said it would run statewide.
- Author
- Gina Hinojosa for Texas
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
Stay on target, Texas voters.
Relevant passage: Passage addressing the "my pronouns are" ad.
Excerpt
"Yes, I saw the 'my pronouns are' ad, and yes. I also think that was a bad move that didn't consider the reality trans people living here face; but Governor Abbott wants to erase trans people altogether."
About this source
Self-published newsletter post by Jessica Lemmons, a Texas writer who publishes a politics newsletter on Substack, dated September 11, 2026. The post argues that Texas voters should keep their attention on Abbott's record rather than on Hinojosa's campaign missteps; its title is "Stay on target, Texas voters." Lemmons writes independently and holds no institutional affiliation.
- Author
- Jessica Lemmons
- Published
- Accessed
Interview
Jeis Whittaker on the "Pronouns" ad, in KXAN's report on transgender Texans
Relevant passage: Passages quoting Jeis Whittaker, identified as a native Texan who identifies as non-binary.
Excerpt
"Republicans are using people like me and my friends as a wedge issue to distract from their own failings - on that much, I agree with Hinojosa. But it's really easy for commentary about that problem to descend into complete apathy about trans issues."
About this source
KXAN interviewed transgender and non-binary Texans about Hinojosa's "Pronouns" ad and James Talarico's separate Fox News remarks. This record captures the Whittaker passages specifically; the campaign's own statement to KXAN in the same article is recorded separately. Whittaker is an interviewee rather than a public officeholder or commentator. KXAN blocks automated access; the text was read from the syndicated copy at the archived URL.
- Author
- KXAN Texas Politics
- Published
- Accessed
Archived source
88(R) History for SB 14 — Texas Legislature Online
Relevant passage: Bill caption and House floor actions; third reading passed 05/15/2023, record vote RV#1688.
Excerpt
"Relating to prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria and on the use of public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments."
About this source
The official Texas Legislature Online record for Senate Bill 14 of the 88th Regular Session, the law banning puberty blockers, hormone therapy and transition-related surgery for Texans under 18. It establishes the bill's subject and that the House passed it on third reading on May 15, 2023 under record vote RV#1688. The page does not itself list individual members' votes, which appear in the House Journal; Hinojosa's vote against the bill is corroborated separately by LGBTQ Nation and by Greg Abbott's own campaign research.
- Author
- Texas Legislative Council
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Transgender Texans speak out after Talarico statements, Hinojosa 'pronoun' ad
Relevant passage: Article body; statement provided to KXAN by the Hinojosa campaign's communications director on September 11, 2026.
Excerpt
"Culture wars are over in 2026. 99.9% of us lost, and corporates power won. While we fought each other at Thanksgiving, 15 billionaire tech dudes won; they amassed power and now they are about to blow up the planet if we don't come back together to save ourselves."
About this source
KXAN asked the Hinojosa campaign what her message was to Texas's transgender voters after the "Pronouns" ad; the campaign's communications director, who is not named in the piece, answered with this statement. The article also interviews transgender and non-binary Texans by name, including Jeis Whittaker and Emily Oswin-Welborn, and covers James Talarico's separate Fox News remarks the same week. KXAN blocks automated access; the text was read from the syndicated Yahoo News copy recorded in the archived URL.
- Author
- KXAN Texas Politics
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
GOP gov edits trans flag into opponent's ad & says she'll make schools "gender transition camps"
Relevant passage: Article body, including embedded posts from @GinaHinojosaTX and @GovHotWheels_TX dated September 8 and 9, 2026.
Excerpt
"The original ad, posted by Hinojosa, involved a video of the candidate speaking with a second grader about her school shutting down. A blurry American flag appears in the foreground. Abbott then posted a screenshot from the conversation. In it, the American flag has been replaced with a far less blurry trans flag."
About this source
Reporting that documents both halves of the September 8-9 exchange: Abbott's campaign posting an altered screenshot of Hinojosa's public-schools ad with a transgender pride flag substituted for an American flag and captioned "Gina wants to turn your local public school into a gender transition camp," and Hinojosa's "Pronouns" ad the following day. It also reproduces the Abbott campaign posts and a reader comment criticising the pronouns line. The outlet writes from an explicitly LGBTQ+ advocacy perspective.
- Author
- Molly Sprayregen
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Gender Bender Gina Wants Men in Your Daughter's Locker Room
Relevant passage: Campaign press release; quotation attributed to communications director Catherine Frazier.
Excerpt
"Gina Hinojosa's record is as radical as it is dangerous. She voted to let men in women's locker rooms, boys in girls' sports"
About this source
Second transgender-focused release from Greg Abbott's campaign, September 15, 2026, six days after Hinojosa's "Pronouns" ad. It cites her votes on school sports (2021), collegiate sports (2023), shared facilities (2025) and a binary definition of sex (2025), characterised in the campaign's own terms, and quotes communications director Catherine Frazier. This is a paid political advertisement, not neutral analysis.
- Author
- Texans for Greg Abbott
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Gender Bender Gina Supports the Gender Mutilation of Children
Relevant passage: Campaign press release; quotation attributed to press secretary Eduardo Leal.
Excerpt
"Radical Gina would rather trans your kids than protect them, educate them, or prepare them for a successful future."
About this source
Opposition-research release from Greg Abbott's campaign, September 8, 2026, the first of the campaign's transgender-focused attacks on Hinojosa and the material her "Pronouns" ad answered the next day. It lists her votes against SB 14 (2023) and HB 1106 and SB 12 (2025) and characterises them in the campaign's own terms; the quotation is attributed to press secretary Eduardo Leal. This is a paid political advertisement, not neutral analysis.
- Author
- Texans for Greg Abbott
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
Democratic candidates' transphobia spells disaster for trans people
Relevant passage: Opinion column; section beginning "Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor".
Excerpt
"Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, spawned an online backlash from some lefty trans posters by appearing to mock pronouns. "My pronouns are mom, Texan and soon-to-be governor," she says in a recent campaign video posted to YouTube. When I made a post on Bluesky pointing out that none of those words are pronouns, and implied that it was wrong to mock trans people's pronouns with this style of joke, a bunch of Bluesky liberals took umbrage."
About this source
Signed opinion column by Katelyn Burns, published September 16, 2026 at 1:42 p.m. Eastern. The passage on Hinojosa sits inside a wider argument about Democratic candidates conceding ground on transgender policy; the column's other examples are James Talarico in Texas and Josh Turek in Iowa. Excerpt transcribed from the rendered page.
- Author
- Katelyn Burns
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Maya Contreras: "those are not pronouns"
Relevant passage: Reply to @ginafortexas post DdEoPmRDc33; timestamp 2026-09-09T17:00:53Z.
Excerpt
"I hope you win. But those are not pronouns (mom, Texas, and Governor are nouns). I don't know who your social media team is but please tell them not to do this again. It's giving conservative, it's giving anti-trans."
About this source
Contreras's reply posted about an hour after the campaign's Threads post, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern on September 9, 2026. It is the most-engaged reply on the thread, with roughly 16,300 reactions. The quotation is transcribed from the post text; the post contains stray object-replacement characters where emoji or formatting were stripped, which are omitted here.
- Author
- Maya Contreras
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Gina Hinojosa for Texas posts the "Pronouns" ad on Threads
Relevant passage: Post video with caption; timestamp 2026-09-09T15:54:12Z.
Excerpt
"My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor."
About this source
The campaign's own Threads post carrying the ad video, published at 10:54 a.m. Central on September 9, 2026. It is the post Maya Contreras replied to, and it drew more than 6,000 reactions and 1,700 replies. A Threads community note written by another user was attached to the post; its text was not readable without an account and is not relied on here.
- Author
- Gina Hinojosa for Texas
- Published
- Accessed
Corrections
(0)
Corrections address errors in our reporting or labels. When a speaker changes their position, we add a separate statement and link it to the earlier one.
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