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According to a report from The Daily Wire, embattled Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has publicly credited a controversial activist theologian with shaping his views on faith, identity, and political possibilities.
In a March 2021 podcast appearance, Talarico enthusiastically described himself as a “fan boy” of Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, whose work he said continues to inspire him. The Texas Democrat highlighted how the theologian’s writings helped expand his thinking beyond personal limitations.
“When you started following me on Twitter, I couldn’t contain my inner fan boy, because I read your book last year and it continues to inspire me and y’all’s work continues to inspire me,” Talarico said during the appearance. He added that aspects of his own background restricted his perspective: “my whiteness, my masculinity, all those things limit my imagination about what’s possible. And that’s where your book helps me do that.”
Henderson-Espinoza, who also goes by Roberto Che Espinoza, is an ordained minister, author, professor, and activist who identifies as transgender, non-binary, and TransQueer Latinx.
A prominent figure in progressive academic and activist circles, Henderson-Espinoza has served as a visiting professor at Duke Divinity School and founded the Activist Theology Project. The organization brings together theologians, activists, and political organizers at the intersection of religion and social change efforts.
The theologian’s key works include the 2019 book “Activist Theology,” which promotes a Christianity focused on political activism and resistance to what it terms “interlocking supremacies.” This was followed by the 2022 book “Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation,” which further develops themes of social justice and liberation politics.
Henderson-Espinoza’s scholarship extends into provocative territory, including a 2018 academic paper calling for “transing religion” to dismantle traditional views on sex, gender, and theology.
The theologian has described the Bible as “trans-positive,” referred to transgender individuals as “Easter icons,” and advocated reimagining Christian teachings through queer theory and liberationist lenses.
In interviews, Henderson-Espinoza has distanced from even progressive Christianity, rejecting the label in favor of a “liberationist” identity. “I’m not an institutionalist … and I’m not here to preserve the institutional church,” the theologian stated in one discussion, emphasizing relationships over doctrine and a focus on challenging systems of oppression.
This admiration comes as Talarico has faced scrutiny over past statements on gender, faith, and related issues, including claims that “God is non-binary,” references to multiple biological sexes, and arguments regarding abortion. While he has called some earlier remarks “cringey,” his longstanding praise for Henderson-Espinoza sheds light on the intellectual currents informing his public positions.
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