James Talarico said his 'imagination' is 'limited' by his white maleness

Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico had once said that the “TransQueer, Latinx” activist theologian was a major source of inspiration for his political philosophy. In praising Roberto Che Espinoza, Talarico said "I told you I was a boring, straight, cis white man, and I added ‘Presbyterian’ to spice it up. My imagination is also just limited by my own background and identity."

In 2020, Talarico said "White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go—through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious."

"The only cure is diagnosing the virus within ourselves and taking dramatic actions to contain the spread," he added. "The first small step is proclaiming loudly and unequivocally that #BlackLivesMatter." He later said his anti-white comments were taken out of context.

“When you started following me on Twitter, I couldn’t contain my inner fan boy," Talarico told Espinoza on the theologian's podcast in 2021, "because I read your book last year and it continues to inspire me and y’all’s work continues to inspire me." Espinoza, who is a biological woman identifying as a man, has a record of controversial political statements.

Ordained Baptist Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza, a visiting professor at Duke Divinity School, is gaining influence among progressive Christian theologians and activists. Identifying as “a non-binary transqueer Latinx” and using she/he pronouns, she is scheduled to speak at the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina, a prominent Religious Left event featuring speakers such as Diana Butler Bass, David Gushee, and Brian McLaren.

She is the founder of The Activist Theology Project and describes herself as a liberationist theologian focused on queer theory, ethics, and social justice. Her academic work includes a 2022 TEDx talk challenging René Descartes’ mind-body dualism.

Born in Texas and raised in a bicultural household, Espinoza attended Hardin-Simmons University before earning a master’s degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver, specializing in constructive theology, queer theory, and Latinx studies.

She has taught at Vanderbilt, Chicago Theological Seminary, and other institutions, and authored Activist Theology (2019) and A Path to Our Liberation (2022). She has argued that Christianity should prioritize relationships over doctrine, and rejected mainstream progressive Christianity as insufficiently radical, per Juicy Ecumenism.

Talarico’s unconventional comments on religion, including his 2021 “God is non-binary” comments, have provided red meat for his Republican opponent Ken Paxton. Talarico has yet to win the endorsement of outgoing House Rep. Jasmine Crockett, against who he ran in the Democrat Senate primary.