The Masculinity Scam

American manhood is a fragile and precarious thing, shattered by the slightest deviation from ever-shifting norms—eating the wrong taco, tasting tofu, not eating meat, or maybe eating too much meat. Or at least, that is what right-wing commentators have suggested by their attacks on the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Texas, James Talarico. Since the 37-year-old state senator clinched the nomination, right-wing politicians and media figures have been running a bizarre smear campaign…