ST. LOUIS 鈥 Mayor Tishaura O. Jones tweeted Wednesday afternoon that after talking to the candidates and doing her own research, she was endorsing Trudy Busch Valentine, a Democrat, nurse and heiress to the Busch beer fortune, for U.S. Senate. But a few hours later, she tacked on a caveat:
She does not agree with Valentine鈥檚 recent comments about transgender people.
Valentine attracted criticism earlier this week for saying that transgender children should wait until they are 18 to undergo controversial procedures irreversibly reassigning their gender, a stance some saw as an unwarranted intrusion into a private medical matter.
鈥淚 only would say, wait until 18, when a person is an adult, to do everything that wouldn鈥檛 allow going back to maybe being the sex that you were,鈥 Valentine told a meeting of 8th Ward Democrats posted to Twitter by the ward鈥檚 committeeman. 鈥淏ut I totally, totally support transgenders without a doubt.鈥
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She also stumbled when asked her whether she supported a law like one Florida has banning instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools before fourth grade. First she criticized critical race theory, which focuses on systemic racial inequities in the country, then she said the LGBTQ matter should be left up to teachers.
Alderman Bill Stephens, who is gay and has made LGBTQ advocacy a cornerstone of his campaigns, called Jones鈥 endorsement a betrayal.
鈥淒on鈥檛 tell me you support my community and then spit in our faces,鈥 he wrote on Twitter.
After that tweet, he had a private conversation with Jones about the matter. She tweeted her clarification afterward.
Jones said in the follow-up tweets that she was more liberal than Valentine on the issue, and supports trans children in being their 鈥渁uthentic selves.鈥 She also promised she would work with Valentine on being a better ally for LGBTQ people.
But Jones added that she still saw Valentine as the best candidate in Tuesday鈥檚 primary.
鈥淎t her core I believe that Trudy gives a damn about people,鈥 she said, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 something that can鈥檛 be taught.鈥
Valentine is considered a top contender for the Democratic nomination in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican. She led a recent poll conducted on the race with 39% of the vote; her closest competitor was Lucas Kunce, a former Marine, with 35% of the vote.
The primary elections are Tuesday.