MESQUITE - A campaign flier depicting a man in a bra has created controversy in an otherwise quiet race for a trustee spot for the Dallas County Community College District.
The ad, paid for by "A Better Dallas County Community College District," a political action committee, went out to residents in Mesquite on Friday.
Bills in the mail are bad enough, but Teia Collier says finding a mailer depicting a supposed transgender man in a bra takes political discourse to a new, lower level.
"It's ugly and it's not nice," the mother of three said. "A friend sent a mass telling everyone not to let their children go to the mailbox. That shouldn't happen."
The ad warns that DCCCD has a policy that allows men to enter women's bathroom. A claim the district denied Tuesday.
Ann Hatch, a spokesperson for DCCCD, says the nondiscrimination policy was amended in 2012 to include gender identity and gender expression among the areas prohibited from discrimination against students and employees.
"This amendment in no way addressed bathroom usage," Hatch said.
The PAC supports Brad Underwood for the District 4 position, one of three open for the May 7 election.
"While I didn't seek them out, I was glad to have their endorsement," Underwood said.
He has more than their endorsement. According to campaign finance reports reviewed by WFAA, Underwood and the PAC share the same post office box address.
“I have several people working on my campaign, somebody could have put something wrong that doesn’t belong there," Underwood said.
His two opponents for the position said they don't agree with the tone set by the mailer.
Martha Jo Talbot says the focus of the race should be on tuition cost and the quality of educators for community college students.
"I do not think it (bathrooms) is one of the main issues in our race," Talbot says.
Monica Lira Bravo, also running for the position, did not address the flier in a written statement to News 8; instead focusing on her support for the existing policy.
“DCCCD needs to do whatever it can to encourage students to be comfortable when they’re studying,” she said. “For a transgender student, this policy has helped them to feel safer on campus.”
According to filings with the Texas Ethics Commission, the political action committee raised $10,000 from one donor - Monty Bennett, a Dallas-based hospitality investor.
Rafael McDonnell, with Resource Center in Dallas, says the ad throws the LGBT community under the bus to win a campaign.
"It's a coordinated effort to attack a nondiscrimination policy that was adopted four years ago," McDonnell says. "The campaign is factually inaccurate, intellectually dishonest and sleazy politics."
Underwood admits the presentation is shocking, but says he stands by the message.
"I've spoken to ladies at DCCCD and they've told me incidents have occurred," Underwood said.
He declined to provide further information regarding men supposedly entering women's restrooms, citing privacy concerns.
DCCCD told News 8 they have no record of any incidents since the policy was adopted in 2012 and that the action depicted in the ad was illegal before the nondiscrimination policy was updated and remains so today.