Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s 13-year-old daughter Caroline recently posted a TikTok where she described the pros and cons of being Cruz’s daughter, announcing she disagrees with most of her father’s views. After the video went viral, users noticed that her profile description listed her as bisexual. Many Republicans believe LGBT news sources that report on Caroline’s bisexuality are “creepy”… while they report on it themselves. Caroline’s TikTok profile is now private.
“A lot of people judge me based upon him at first glance,” Caroline said in the TikTok. “But I really disagree with most of his views.”
Caroline took the influx of new followers she’d received for being the Republican senator’s daughter to explain her point of view. She described how receiving candy in the mail and the opportunities to travel were great but she doesn’t like how she can’t go for a walk without security guards following her. She also mentioned how her clothes are photoshopped to look more conservative in family pictures.
Many users noticed that Caroline had listed her sexual orientation on her profile and were eager to find out how Ted would feel about it. Somebody commented, “i see in ur bio ur bi- is that something he knows? (if ur comfortable talking ab it, i’m just curious).” She replied: “I haven’t told him yet, I’m kinda nervous tbh but I don’t think he would be mad about it.”
Some Republicans are framing the discussion around Caroline seemingly coming out to the public as “creepy.” Because Caroline is under the age of legal consent, there are claims that adults asking whether she’s out to her family on social media is “online grooming.” The commenter @emojeannnnn isn’t a journalist but an 18 year old user with a long history of posting on TikTok.
Republican ex-senator John McCain’s daughter Megan McCain, a conservative columnist, author and television personality, wrote on Twitter, “She’s 13. Stop this.” TikTok is a popular platform for people of all ages, especially 13-year-olds, so is it wrong for Caroline Cruz to express herself and/or her life on the platform? Isn’t she allowed to say she disagrees with her dad or is 13 too young to receive any respect at all?
One responder compared Caroline declaring her bisexuality to Trump advisor KellyAnne Conway’s then 16-year-old daughter Claudia, who documented disputes with her mother on TikTok. Caroline’s sexual orientation isn’t “politics.” She didn’t go into detail on what she disagreed with Ted about, either.
Caroline mentioning she’s bisexual isn’t problematic. LGBT websites reporting she did so aren’t any different to a gymnastic website reporting on a politician’s daughter who’s great at gymnastics. Anybody who can’t think of teenage same-sex attraction outside the act of sex itself are the problem, not those simply mentioning her bisexuality.
Caroline would hold a bit of power over her friends and classmates who probably come from similarly conservative households. It’s great that she’s ending generational homophobia. It’s wrong that conservatives are dismissing what she thinks and feels because of her age. She’s not talking about having sex, she’s talking about who she’s attracted to. Isn’t it a bit of a homophobic red flag to suggest it’s wrong to report on her bisexuality when sexual orientation isn’t “creepy?”
Sexual orientation should be a neutral topic. One reason many lesbians and bisexuals don’t come out until much later in life is because they’re told it’s just a phase. Even if Caroline decides later in life that she isn’t bisexual, does it matter that she sees herself that way now?
All girls and boys are discussing crushes when puberty kicks in. Would it be viewed as “creepy” for TikTok users to be interested in her discussing being straight? If Caroline was dissing the LGBT community and conforming to all of Ted Cruz’s beliefs, how would Republican news outlets and Twitter personalities react then? Would it be “creepy” to report on that?
