Watch: Ted Cruz Uses Anti-Gay Slur to Attack Army Ads Promoting Diversity

Ted Cruz took to Twitter to hit at recent U.S. military recruitment ads aimed at showing diversity by comparing one to Russian propaganda showing a macho military men doing pushups.

Cruz was responding to a TikTok "comparing what appears to be Russian military propaganda, showing hypermasculine soldiers in ground combat training and jumping out of planes and an animated US Army ad featuring Cpl. Emma Malonelord, a soldier who was raised by two mothers in California, telling her story of advocating for LGBT freedoms and then enlisting in the service," reported Business Insider.

"Holy crap. Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea....," he wrote.

He was immediately slammed by those in the military and fellow politicians.

"I think it's incredibly disturbing to see a sitting US senator publicly push Russian propaganda, while simultaneously degrading the service of a very real soldier," 1st Lt. Kait Abbott, who serves in the Army National Guard, told Military.com, reported Business Insider.

"Cruz's comments provided a beacon for those who might believe otherwise, and who will continue to push the message and belief that those who do not fit the straight, white male mold are not welcome here," she added. "We are still seeing pushes for equity and equality for women, and the senator's comments provided a bed for misogyny to live in and thrive. My frustration lies here: The origin story of any young, white male is called the American Dream. Why does it become 'woke' when that story doesn't quite fit the narrative?"

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who lost both her legs during the Iraqi War, tweeted: "Perhaps a U.S. Senator shouldn't suggest that the *Russian* military is better than the American military that protected him from an insurrection he helped foment?"

VoteVets, a political group that supports veterans and promotes liberal causes, also criticized Cruz, reported CBS News.

"Ted Cruz attacks a US Army soldier for telling her story, says he prefers Russians. Because Ted Cruz is a sedition-loving traitor," the group wrote.

Amy McGrath, a former U.S. Marine who ran against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last year, also took aim at Cruz.

"Dear @tedcruz- you have no idea what being a warrior is all about. Signed, all women who have worn the uniform to protect your right to be an ass," she wrote.

Another veteran, former Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Charlotte Clymer "tweeted at Cruz, pointing out the Texas lawmaker's having not served in the armed services, .

"Sweetie, you're a coward and hypocrite," Clymer tweeted at Cruz, pointing out the Texas lawmaker has never served in the military.

"You were an abled-bodied 20 year-old during the buildup to the Persian Gulf War," Clymer said. "Did you take a few months to enlist in the Reserves? No, you finished your degree at Princeton."

"You were 30 on 9/11. Did you enlist? Of course not," the veteran added.

But Cruz doubled-down to criticism in a tweet, even using a gay slur.

"I'm enjoying lefty blue checkmarks losing their minds over this tweet, dishonestly claiming that I'm 'attacking the military.' Uh, no. We have the greatest military on earth, but Dem politicians & woke media are trying to turn them into pansies. The new Dem videos are terrible."

Pansy, according to Dictionary.com is a slang term used to disparage LGBTQ people.
"Extremely Disparaging and Offensive," the definition reads. "[A] contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man. Offensive. a weak, effeminate, and often cowardly man."

The idea of a flower representing gay sex is said to come from Marcel Proust, "referred to male-male courtship as being similar to the process of flower fertilization," wrote the website Flower Power Daily. But Christopher Looby wrote in his book, "'Flowers of Manhood,' pansy is the term that stuck–especially for those who dressed flamboyantly. The bold bright colors of the flower may have been what triggered the association." By the 1020s the term was associated with the rise of LGBTQ night life in cities like New York City and Chicago in what historian George Chauncey called "the Pansy Craze."

Of the eight videos released in a series called "The Calling," Cruz chose to focus on one with LGBTQ content that featured the story of Cpl. Emma Malonelord, a white woman brought up by two moms in California, told with a mix of animation and live action. In it Malonelord is seen marching for LGBTQ rights, attending her mom's wedding and expressing admiration for strong women that led her to join the service.

And it didn't take long, the website HillReporter.com wrote, for a recent Cruz meme to trend again.

"The hashtag #CancunCruz resurfaced early on Friday to not-so-gently remind him and everyone else how he abandoned his frozen state for sunnier climes and warmer temperatures during the worst winter storm in a decade."

Earlier this year when Texas faced an energy disaster that left many of the state's residents in the cold, Cruz headed to Cancun for a vacation leaving his dog behind in his Houston home, only to return when he was slammed for abandoning the state during a crisis.

Twitter erupted with responses to Cruz's "pansies" comment: