Democrat Railroad Commission candidate Jon Rosenthal once said he would be “pretty cool” with marching naked in a and LGBT Pride parade if he were in better shape.
Rosenthal, who is running against Republican Bo French in November, made the comments during a 2018 interview with The Trans Advocate while he was first running for the Texas House.
During the interview, Rosenthal was asked what he planned to do for the upcoming Pride celebration.
“Well, you know, usually I just go and enjoy the parade,” said Rosenthal.
After the hosts suggested that his status as a candidate meant he would need to do more than simply attend, Rosenthal joked about wearing sparkles and was invited to march with a transgender float.
Rosenthal said he and his wife enjoyed attending the parade and that he would be willing to march with a participating group.
“If there’s some group that I’m happy about being along with that invites me to march in the parade, I’m more than happy to wear their t-shirt or whatever. I’ll throw beads,” said Rosenthal.
He then addressed the prospect of nudity.
“You know, I’m a little overweight, so I kind of draw the line at getting naked,” Rosenthal said. “But if I was in better shape, I would be pretty cool with it.”
When one of the hosts noted that parade rules restricted nudity, Rosenthal responded that participants were “allowed to show a lot of skin, maybe just not all of your skin.”
“But you know, they’re pretty lenient about that,” he added.
Rosenthal later joked, “They don’t discriminate against fat people, so I could do it. You know, if I want.”
UNEARTHED AUDIO: Democrat Railroad Commission candidate Jon Rosenthal said he would be “pretty cool” getting naked at an LGBT parade if he were in better shape.
Rosenthal later served as an “Ally Grand Marshal” at a Pride event featuring children’s programming. https://t.co/FR7QTLeJ7F
— Brandon Waltens (@bwaltens) October 7, 2026
He ultimately clarified that he did not want to appear naked because of his physique.
“To clarify, I don’t want to be seen naked, whether it’s in a gay parade or not,” Rosenthal said. “If I had a better body, it [would] win me more votes than it lost me. But being a little overweight, it’s probably the other way around.”
The Pride discussion was part of a broader conversation in which Rosenthal described himself as “a pretty progressive person” and criticized several policy priorities to protect children.
Asked about legislation restricting biological men’s access to women’s restrooms, Rosenthal called such proposals “propagating discrimination and bigotry for the sake of riling up a base.”
“If you really want to protect little children in bathrooms, you should protect them against Republican legislators,” he said.
Rosenthal’s involvement with Pride organizations continued after he was elected to the Texas House.
In 2025, Rosenthal was named an “Ally Grand Marshal” for the third annual Katy Pride Celebration.
The event was advertised as an all-ages celebration and included programming specifically aimed at children.
Organizers advertised a “Kids Zone” featuring inflatables, yard games, crafts, and other activities for families and children.
The celebration also included “Reading Under the Rainbow: Pride Story Time,” featuring readings by drag queens. Katy Pride additionally named a “Youth Grand Marshal” for the celebration.
Rosenthal was also selected as an Ally Grand Marshal for Houston’s Pride celebration earlier that year.
Now the Democrat nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, Rosenthal will face French in the November 3 General Election for a seat on the three-member commission, which regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry.
Rosenthal’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
