Hinojosa says the "Pronouns" ad was meant to rebuke culture-war politics
Gina HinojosaTexas state representative and Democratic nominee for governor
In an interview with Dasha Burns, Hinojosa says her "Pronouns" ad was directed at Greg Abbott and what she calls culture-war politics. She says Abbott had accused her of working with teachers "to try to trans kids" and says her campaign will not engage in those arguments.
“What I was trying to communicate is to both Greg Abbott and to the culture wars. You can shove it with your culture wars. He had just accused me of working with teachers to try to trans kids. It's just ridiculous, right? … And so that was to say, look, we're not doing your culture wars.”
Original video
Where this statement fits
Did Gina Hinojosa’s “Pronouns” ad mock transgender Texans?
On September 8, 2026, Greg Abbott’s campaign opened a transgender-focused line of attack on Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, nicknaming her “Gender Bender Gina,” cataloguing her votes against Texas restrictions on gender-affirming care and school policy, and posting an altered screenshot of one of her own public-schools ads in which an American flag had been replaced with a transgender pride flag. The next day Hinojosa released a campaign ad titled “Pronouns,” which her campaign said would run statewide and in which she is the only speaker. In it she said Abbott wanted to run a campaign calling her “too woke” while she would run one about working people being “too broke,” closing with the line “My pronouns are Mom, Texan, and soon to be: Governor.” Whether that closing line mocked transgender people is the matter in dispute. Transgender writers and advocates said it borrowed a mocking right-wing joke about pronouns at their expense, while the campaign defended the pivot away from culture-war argument. Hinojosa has voted against the Texas restrictions Abbott cites, and the criticism of her is about the ad’s rhetoric rather than her legislative record.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Dasha Burns asks Gina Hinojosa about a campaign ad saying, "My pronouns are mom, Texan, and soon to be governor," and the criticism it drew from some LGBTQ advocates. Hinojosa says the message was directed at Greg Abbott and what she called culture-war politics, after he accused her of working with teachers "to try to trans kids."
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Dasha Burns notes that the ad says, "My pronouns are mom, Texan, and soon to be governor," and says it drew criticism from some LGBTQ advocates. She asks Hinojosa what she was trying to communicate.
After the quotation
Hinojosa says the campaign will focus on making life easier for working families and says, "we're not doing your culture wars."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the ad's closing line mocked transgender Texans. Hinojosa gives a personal explanation for the ad, saying it was aimed at Abbott and culture-war politics rather than at transgender Texans. That is a defense of the challenged message.
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- People and groups discussed
- Greg Abbott
More from this case
Read the full caseGreg Pak dislikes the "Pronouns" ad but credits Hinojosa for not waffling on trans rights
“Didn't like Hinojosa's recent "Pronouns" ad. I *DO* like her actual voting record in Texas for trans rights, and I'm glad that unlike some other politicians, she's not waffling on those stances.”Read statement
Katelyn Burns says it was wrong to mock trans people’s pronouns with this style of joke
“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.”Read statement
Jeis Whittaker says they cannot tell what the pronouns line is meant to communicate
“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. I’m unsure what 'my pronouns are mom, Texan, and soon-to-be Governor' is supposed to communicate And I don’t think actual swing voters will get it, either.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Hinojosa says the "Pronouns" ad was meant to rebuke culture-war politics". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2534-in-an-interview-with-dasha-burns-hinojosa-says