Nonbinary congressional candidate injects testosterone in powerful campaign ad

A Democratic, transmasculine nonbinary Congressional candidate from Louisiana just released a powerful video emphasizing their commitment to supporting transgender rights.

Mel Manuel is running for Louisiana’s First Congressional District, which is currently represented by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R), who is seeking reelection. Their campaign website says that they’re running on a platform of universal, free healthcare, bodily autonomy, living wages, and opposition to all forms of bigotry.

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In the video, Manuel is depicted injecting testosterone while speaking to voters: “The toxic forces of fear and hatred are threatening to consume our nation. If we don’t take a stand, the November election could be the last gasp of Democratic freedom as we know it.”

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“I believe that you, not the government, owns your own body. LGBTQ rights are human rights.”

In the description of the video, they say, “Republican candidates have spent more than $65 million dollars on anti-Trans ads since August of this year alone.” They were referring to a recent New York Times analysis.

“To my LGBTQ+ family and our allies… No one is coming to save us. We have to show up at the polls for ourselves and for those we love. I’ve spent the last year and a half campaigning because we need to speak up and be represented before it’s too late. You can speak up now with your vote.”

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A post shared by Mel Manuel for Louisiana (@mel4louisiana)

According to their campaign website, they are the Director of Operations for the Louisiana Abortion Fund as well as the co-director of LGBTQ+ nonprofit Queer Northshore. They also serve on the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Democratic Party and are a board member of the St. Tammany Library Alliance.

They are the sole Democrat running against three Republican candidates and one unaffiliated candidate. Louisiana has open elections where anyone can run for Congress, and a runoff is held if no candidate gets over 50% of the vote, as opposed to primaries like other states have.

Scalise has been in office since 1996 and is one of the most dominant Republican figures in the House. Currently, he is the House Majority Leader, and he previously served as the House Republicans’ Whip. He also ran for speaker of the House in 2023 but withdrew due to not securing enough votes.

Scalise is one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ candidates out there, receiving a 0/100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard. He opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which banned gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military; voted against including LGBTQ+ people in anti-hate crime legislation; and opposes same-sex marriage. He is also anti-immigrant and is a fierce supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Louisiana’s First Congressional District voted for Trump by a 38-point margin in 2020, which means that a Democrat like Manuel faces an uphill battle.

Early voting for the Louisiana Congressional elections is between October 18 and October 29, with election day taking place on November 5.

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