Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico now says he opposes transgender student-athletes competing in girls’ sports “if it endangers safety or fairness.”
During a Wednesday interview with Fox News’ Brooke Taylor, the state representative said that due to his past as a public schoolteacher, “I care a lot about our student-athletes, I care a lot about our students.”
His comments mark a reversal from previous positions during his time in the Texas House, when he opposed initiatives to require public school athletes to compete in sports based on the biological sex listed on their birth certificate.
He also confirmed that he supports and would vote for a national ban on gender transition surgeries for minors.
Asked if he would vote for a federal prohibition on gender surgery for minors as a senator, Mr. Talarico said, “Absolutely.”
His previous record as a Texas state representative in 2023 includes voting against state law that prohibited gender transition surgeries and certain hormone treatments for minors.
At the time, he and his campaign argued that the state legislation was overly broad and interfered with broader medical care.
In his Wednesday interview with Fox, he cited voting for an amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors, stating, “I’ve been consistent on this issue.”
“As a lawmaker, my job is to try to sift through everything the bill does. And sometimes there’s stuff in it that’s really harmful, and I have no choice but to oppose the bill as a whole,” he said.
Mr. Talarico backtracked on a 2021 assertion that there are six biological sexes, clarifying that he “missed the mark on some of my past statements.”
“What I meant is that there are two sexes, and then there’s a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities. Obviously, didn’t say it correctly. There are not six sexes. There are two,” he said.
The reason that politicians at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas want to talk about his previous comments is that they don’t want to address high costs of living, Mr. Talarico said.
When asked about potential scrutiny over his newest comments, he pointed to his legislative history.
“You shouldn’t believe anything a politician says, whether it’s me or [Republican nominee] Ken Paxton. You should look at what we’ve done,” the Senate hopeful said.
The Senate race in Texas features a remarkably competitive matchup between Mr. Paxton, the state attorney general, and Mr. Talarico, which could ultimately help determine which party holds the upper chamber’s majority next year.
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