Danny Lopez, an employee of the Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PSE) group and the Republican candidate for Indiana’s 39th House District, has drawn scrutiny from local media for an ad that accuses his opponent, Democrat Matt McNally, of supporting biological boys participating in girls’ sports.
Though Indiana has already passed a law prohibiting males from competing in girls’ sports, Lopez told Fox 59 that the ad is necessary to preserve that legislation.
“There’s only one candidate talking about the importance of preserving the gains that we’ve made on behalf of girls and young women,” Lopez explained.
The ad charges Lopez’s opponent, Democrat Matt McNally, with supporting efforts to allow males to compete in girls’ sports.
McNally called the ad a distraction and said he agreed with Republican Governor Eric Holcomb’s decision to sign the ban on trans athletes.
“We’re going to run our race on the issues, and we’re gonna run on the policies that matter to people, and we’re not going to allow ourselves to be distracted by culture war issues,” said McNally.
However, not everyone declined to address the ad.
Writing in the Indianapolis Star, James Briggs called Lopez’s ad “cruel” to the transgender community. He accused Republicans, upset by the backlash to the ad, of being desensitized to their own cruelty in exploiting the “vulnerable people as political props.”
In a mailbag feature, also in the Indianapolis Star, sports columnist Gregg Doyel responded to one commenter by ripping the ad as “public cruelty” and “hateful” for featuring a girl referring to a “trans girl” as a boy.
As for Lopez’s employer, PSE, they claim to support his bid for office without endorsing his political positions.
“We support Danny Lopez’s decision to run for office,” the statement read in part. “However…his beliefs are his own and in no way a reflection of the company’s.”
