Vice President JD Vance Suspended From Bluesky Platform 12 Minutes After Joining

U.S. Vice President JD Vance was suspended from X competitor Bluesky just 12 minutes after his first post on the platform.

Vance joined the social media platform – set up as an alternative to Twitter when Elon Musk bought it and turned it into X – on Wednesday.

“Hello Bluesky, I've been told this app has become the place to go for common sense political discussion and analysis,” he wrote in his first post.

“So I'm thrilled to be here to engage with all of you.”

Vance then shared an excerpt from the recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children under 18 in Tennessee.

Supreme Court justices voted 6-3 on Wednesday to allow the state’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy treatments for minors to continue.

Supporters of the law, including Tennessee officials, argue that it protects children from making irreversible medical decisions at a young age.

However, LGBTQ+ rights groups and medical organizations have strongly opposed the ban, saying it denies essential, evidence-based care and endangers the mental health of transgender youth.

Vance shared an excerpt of the ruling that stated there “is no medical consensus on how best to treat gender dysmorphia in children.”

The section also stated that “recent revelations” suggested that leading voices on the subject have “relied on questionable evidence” and allowed “ideology to influence their medical guidance.”

“To that end, I found Justice Thomas's concurrence on medical care for transgender youth quite illuminating,” Vance wrote.

“He argues that many of our so-called ‘experts’ have used bad arguments and substandard science to push experimental therapies on our youth.”

“I might add that many of those scientists are receiving substantial resources from big pharma to push these medicines on kids,” he said. “What do you think?”

“I think you don't give a damn about healthcare for trans youth or their families,” one person replied.

“I might add that you're full of lies.  Doctors, parents, and psychologists all participate in medical care decisions. None of this is sudden or without a lot of examination,” another wrote.

“You don’t care what anyone thinks unless they agree with you,” a third posted. “You really expect us to believe you have any interest in rational discourse?”

Within 12 minutes of the post, Vance’s account had been suspended, Axios journalist Marc Caputo reports. The account was then reinstated minutes later.

Bluesky confirmed the account had been banned but said it was due to impersonation concerns.

“Vice President Vance’s account was briefly flagged by our automated systems that try to detect impersonation attempts which have targeted public figures like him in the past,” a spokesperson said.

“The account was quickly restored and verified so people can easily confirm its authenticity.

“We welcome the Vice President to join the conversation on Bluesky.”

Vance’s comments came after the court’s three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the majority decision.

Justice Sotomayor, writing for the dissenting trio, criticized the Court’s move, AP reports, stating: “By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to the political whims. In sadness, I dissent.”

Since Donald Trump took office for a second time in January, he has consistently targeted transgender individuals.

In January, he signed an executive order proclaiming the government would only recognize two sexes, male and female. It removed recognition of gender identity on federal documents, including passports and visas.

His administration has moved to block federal funding for hospitals providing gender-transition treatments for people under the age of 19.

Federal agencies were directed to withhold funds from institutions providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgeries for youths.

The Supreme Court has also allowed Trump to ban transgender service members from the military while legal challenges continue.