Texas Democrat James Talarico, a candidate for U.S. Senate, now says he opposes transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports when it threatens safety or fairness, a position that breaks sharply from votes he cast as a state representative just a few years ago.
“I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness. Every sport has to be safe and fair,” Talarico told Fox News’ Brooke Taylor. “As a former public school teacher, I care a lot about our student athletes; I care a lot about our students. And so I will oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness.”
The comments stand in contrast to Talarico’s record in the Texas Legislature, where he voted against Republican-backed bills that would have barred transgender student-athletes from competing on teams matching their gender identity, according to the Texas Tribune.
At the time, Talarico argued those bills would have the government “police people’s private parts” and would harm “the least of these,” invoking scripture, the Tribune reported. He also likened the safety and fairness rationale behind the bans to arguments once used to exclude Black athletes from professional sports, saying in 2021: “Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports.”
Asked about the shift, Talarico framed his earlier votes differently, calling the prior Republican proposals “overly broad” and saying he had backed amendments that would leave the decision to local communities and school boards rather than state lawmakers.
“I think that the people closest to these problems are best equipped to make decisions for themselves, not politicians in Austin, not politicians in Washington. I trust local officials and local communities to make these decisions, and that’s what I voted for,” Talarico said.
Talarico’s new position puts him closer to the mainstream view on the issue as he campaigns statewide, though it raises questions about how he squares his current stance with the arguments he made against the same policy outcome just a few years earlier.
Add comment