Luther may be in the beauty business, but she’s also politically minded. In 2020, she lost a bid for Texas Senate, but now, she’s running for state House District 62, which covers Delta, Fannin and Grayson counties.
Still, Luther’s path to political stardom has been pockmarked by bad press, largely because of the certifiably out-there stuff she’s said and done. Here are some of the lowlights during her time on the campaign trail.
Transgender Kids
The backlash was swift.
During a February candidate forum in Fannin County, Luther bragged about her potential district’s conservative credentials. The left has U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she warned, before launching into a bafflingly bigoted diatribe.
“I am not comfortable with the transgenders, um, the kids that they brought in my classroom, um, when they said that this kid is transgendering [sic] into a different sex,” Luther said. “That I couldn’t have kids laugh at them. Like I couldn’t have, um —”
Here she paused, appearing to have choked on the foot lodged firmly in her mouth.
WATCH: Shelley Luther, a Texas GOP candidate and former teacher, said transgender children make her uncomfortable, and she complained that their classmates weren’t allowed to make fun of them. https://t.co/c8AX8IFpY8 pic.twitter.com/R25rfROza7
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) February 8, 2022
Eventually, after several long seconds of silence, Luther tried to spin her hateful take as it if were about school choice. But to us, it sounds like she’s actually upset that cisgender students aren’t allowed to bully their transgender peers.
Hey, Luther: That was, um, gross. And cruel.
Chinese Students
Sure, critics have called Luther transphobic, but that’s not all. Some have also noted that she’s said some pretty problematic stuff regarding race.
In January, Luther tweeted-then-deleted that “Chinese students should be BANNED from attending all Texas universities. No more Communists!” She also wrote that the state's taxpayers shouldn't be "subsidizing the next generation" of Chinese Communist Party leaders.
Is this the notorious Nazi racist Shelley Luther from Texas? pic.twitter.com/YsMbceolW6
— Chen Weihua （陈卫华） (@chenweihua) January 6, 2022
Naturally, that sparked a firestorm among many political observers, including Texas legislators from both parties. State Rep. Gene Wu, a Democrat from Houston, said certain politicians have ditched their dog whistles and “are just coming out and saying it.”
Luther dug in her heels and tweeted that her statement — made during a time when attacks on Asian Americans are skyrocketing — was just "common sense." In response, Chinese journalist Chen Weihua clapped back: "Is this the notorious Nazi racist Shelley Luther from Texas?" he wrote.
Assault Rifles
Luther tried her hand at promotion in January when she posted a video to Facebook praising a local firearm business. Standing in a cramped garage, Luther invited a guest to her makeshift stage: a dude named Roy who sells custom assault rifles under the name Punisher Built.
“Once you see this AR that was built for me, you’re going to freak out like I did,” Luther said. We're freaked out, all right.
Luther’s long arm is a patriot's red-white-and-blue wet dream. It’s got everything you’d expect: a Luther quote and signature, the “come and take it” cannon, a Texas silhouette from 1836 and a lone star. Yee-haw.
“I am so excited about this and you guys should be too,” she said, showing off her potentially lethal wares. Well, if you insist.
