Ex-Yale classmate blasts Vance: Love doesn't mean 'stripping them of their rights'

Responding to recent comments that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) made about the end of their friendship, a former Yale classmate said Monday night that while she too is “sad about the loss of our friendship,” the Republican vice presidential nominee has “a different definition of what love looks like.”

“I’m sad about the loss of our friendship, but I think, you know, I have a different definition of love than J.D.,” said Sofia Nelson, Vance’s former Yale Law School classmate and one-time close friend, who clashed with Vance over their disagreements about gender-affirming health care. Nelson, who is transgender, told CNN anchor Erin Burnett on Monday night on her show “OutFront” that Vance’s stance on issues including LGBTQ+ and women’s rights “is dangerous.”

“You know this is a man who supports repealing marriage equality, that would take away one of my rights. That’s not what love looks like to me in action,” she said.

Nelson continued: “So I have a great deal of care for J.D., a lot of fond memories. I remain open-hearted about the future when it comes to J.D., but when I love someone, I don't try to strip them of their rights."

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In her CNN interview Monday night, Nelson also revealed to Burnett that Vance’s emails to her in 2014 – published in July by the New York Times in which Vance said he “hates” the police – came after he experienced a robbery of items from he and his wife's car. Vance was questioned about the email exchange by the Times in a recent interview and suggested the comments in the emails came in response to the break-in.

“That happened well after he sent this email, when he moved to San Francisco,” Nelson said about the robbery.

“So I'm sorry, you said that happened after the email?" Burnett asked.

“Yes, so we had this email exchange where he said 'I hate the police' and was expressing concern about police using power and control over Black men unnecessarily, and not being concerned with their public safety function, and he sent that email in 2014," Nelson said. "Then, a few years later, he moved to San Francisco and that experience happened.

Watch the clip below or at this link.