After conservative attacks on James Talarico's identity backfired, they’re now targeting his church

Republicans have falsely called Texas Senate candidate James Talarico transgender, vegan, and questioned whether he has a real girlfriend. Now, conservatives are targeting his church.

A new Daily Wire article, billed as an investigation, labeled St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church a “woke Austin church” based on ministries and charitable initiatives listed on its website. Those include efforts focused on social justice and community outreach, including partnerships with organizations such as Planned Parenthood.

The story also attempts to characterize the church’s “Field of Hope” project, which was launched in 1993 to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic and its impact on Texas. The project reflects the church’s decades-long commitment to people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as other marginalized communities.

Related: The Democratic candidate in the Texas Senate race is going to be an LGBTQ+ ally

The reporter also tries to characterize the church’s “Field of Hope” project, started in 1993, to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic and its impact on Texas. That’s a project showing the long commitment by the church to the stigmatized LGBTQ community and other marginalized populations impacted.

“Standing with marginalized communities has never been easy or popular, but has always been the right thing to do, and the Field of Hope is part of St. Andrew‘s history of and ongoing commitment to not only preaching but practicing Jesus‘s love in action,” the project website states.

Yet The Daily Wire attempts to link the project to the Lilith Fund, which raises money to help Texans seeking abortion care obtain services outside the state. Texas has banned nearly all abortions since 2022. The Daily Wire article describes that work as providing “money for Texans to travel out of state to kill their unborn babies.”

Related: James Talarico defeats fellow LGBTQ+ ally Jasmine Crockett in Texas Democratic primary

There is no mention of the Lilith Fund on the church’s benevolences page. A separate section of the Field of Hope website includes links for people interested in supporting local groups focused on gender and reproductive justice, including the Lilith Fund and Jane’s Due Process, an organization that helps minors navigate Texas abortion laws and access care.

The latest report came a week after the same right-wing outlet reported that the church had distributed “sexually explicit” books to children. The claim stemmed from the church library’s collection of frequently challenged and banned books, including Gender Queer, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and The Courage to Be Queer. The article took particular issue with a passage in the latter in which author Jeff Hood writes that “God is queer.”

Conservative attacks on Talarico, particularly over his support for transgender people and LGBTQ+ rights, have intensified since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary. Paxton, despite having faced impeachment proceedings and criminal indictments, has made opposition to transgender rights a central theme of his political messaging.