When I take office as a newly elected district attorney in West Texas next month, I know what one of my first priorities will be. In my rural district, we have no one who can administer rape kits. It's terrible and must be addressed.
It's also the perfect example of an issue that should bring everyone together. There should be nothing Democratic or Republican about this. But if you listen to certain people on the right these days, you might think I'm somehow turning a blind eye to the dangers of sexual abuse or "grooming."
Recently, on social media, some right-wing figures have been playing up a pet issue: the existence of gasp—sex toys at retail stores. They seem to be taking a lead from right-wing firebrands like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. After preposterously being given the Richard M. Nixon Award from the New York Republican Club in 2022, she used her speech to complain, "You can pick up a butt plug or a dildo at Target and CVS nowadays. I don't even know how we got here. This is the state that we're living in right now." There's nothing new about sex products being available in these kinds of shops, as Newsweek reported in 2008.
While I ran for D.A. as a lifelong Republican to get on the ballot, I am very much not a standard bearer of today's GOP. I've flirted with the Libertarian and Forward parties. Just like so many other Americans, I'm anxiously watching President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominees. (In fact, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threw his support behind Trump, I called him out for going to the dark side.)
The government should focus on making our lives safer, not scare tactics to expand its influence into private businesses and personal lives. The Republican Party is supposed to oppose "big government." So, when a Texas GOP official recently went after CVS on X, I responded with a joke about her being uptight. Then, another GOP official jumped in, insisting that "DA's should be prepared to defend minors from unnecessary grooming and abuse."
My response: "Hate to break it to you but DAs are supposed to fight for justice. So, I will be prosecuting real crimes—like pastors who sexually abuse children. Not made-up ones like selling sexual health devices for adults in the pharmacy next to condoms and lube."
This might seem like just social media cattiness. But it speaks to a choice that the Republican Party must make. Will it continue an obsession with culture wars or support getting work done that matters most?
Unfortunately, around the country many elected officials are choosing the former. They're using obscenity laws—including some ancient ones still on the books—to go after school librarians. They're proposing ways to ban even more. Here in Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on one last year. "While the intent was to ban drag shows from public libraries, the broad language could affect NFL cheerleaders, popular restaurants like Hooters and Twin Peaks, R-rated movies and even youth cheerleaders." (Most Texans can't imagine life without the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.) These laws could also face an uphill battle in the courts, including the Supreme Court, which have shot down certain obscenity laws as unconstitutional.
To be clear, there's no evidence that the existence of sex toys next to other adult products in any way grooms children. If kids see something they might ask about it, and parents can choose what to teach them—just as we already do for Adam & Eve billboards, or condoms and personal lubricants at the drugstore. Meanwhile, stories abound of kids finding their parents' sex toys at home. And when teens become curious about sex, some manage to get sex toys online—all the more reason that age-appropriate education is a necessity.
Democrats are just as guilty of turning to culture wars. In fact, some believe that contributed to their loss in the 2024 elections. As columnist Quin Hillyer discussed in the Washington Examiner, majorities of Americans want birth gender to determine participation in sports for example. Also, "Most support Israel, not Palestinian terrorists, and most are appalled by student protesters shouting down speakers, blocking classroom access, threatening Jews, and committing other abuses now common on college campuses." Far-left lawmakers are out of touch with the country.
Government should focus on pressing issues that Americans need addressed. The lack of rape kits in rural areas is one of many. It's been known for years, but remains a problem. This is the kind of thing we in government should get done.
To those jumping on culture war bandwagons, here's my message: We have far more important tasks to accomplish. Let's get to work.
Sarah Stogner is D.A.-elect of Texas' 143rd Judicial District.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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