Conservative criticism surrounding Texas Senate candidate James Talarico has now expanded to his church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. A recent article published by an American right-wing media company, The Daily Wire, described St. Andrew’s as a “woke Austin church,” pointing to ministries and outreach programs highlighted on the church’s website. The report focused on the church’s partnerships with organizations supporting social justice and reproductive health initiatives, including Planned Parenthood. The article also examined the church’s “Field of Hope” project, launched in 1993 to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic and its impact on Texas communities.
The initiative reflects the church’s longstanding outreach to people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as other marginalized groups. The Daily Wire also attempted to connect the project to the Lilith Fund, a nonprofit that helps Texans seeking abortion care travel outside the state. Texas has banned nearly all abortions since 2022. The article says that the organization provides “money for Texans to travel out of state to kill their unborn babies.”
Another Daily Wire report alleged the church distributed “sexually explicit” books to children through its library collection of frequently challenged LGBTQ-themed titles, including Gender Queer, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and The Courage to Be Queer Conservative political attacks on Talarico, particularly over his support for trans and queer rights, have intensified since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
