In a Fox News exclusive interview, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico came out in favor of banning gender surgery for minors and opposed transgender-identifying men competing in women’s sports. Talarico also backtracked on several of his more controversial claims, including saying there are six genders and that "God is nonbinary." This comes as the Texas Senate race, which is surprisingly close according to recent Fox News polling, enters its final months. The race is considered critical to both parties' chances of securing a Senate majority.
Talarico is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who has faced controversies of his own. A Republican loss in Texas would significantly impact President Donald Trump's ability to implement his agenda. Fox News spoke with Talarico at a food drive campaign event in Dallas on Tuesday.
Talarico’s event took place as the first-ever GOP midterm convention kicked off just miles away in downtown Dallas. TALARICO CAMPAIGNS WITH SURGEON WHO OPERATED ON TRANSGENDER MINORS: ‘WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING’ Asked whether he would vote as a U.S. senator in favor of a national ban on gender surgery for minors, Talarico answered, "Absolutely." He said, "I've been consistent on this issue," explaining his opposition to a Texas bill to ban transgender surgeries on minors by saying the measure "was overly broad." "If you go back and check, I voted for a major amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors," he said. "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." "It's why I try to use amendments, to narrow the focus of the bill so that it does exactly what we intend it to do," he continued. "It's what I tried to do with that piece of legislation, and unfortunately the amendment I supported was unsuccessful." In 2023, as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico voted against a state bill titled SB 14, which prohibited certain gender surgery, puberty blockers and certain hormone treatments for minors. There were 18 amendments to the bill proposed by Democrats, all of which Talarico voted in favor and all of which ultimately failed.
In the same interview, Talarico acknowledged that men in women’s sports is a significant issue in Texas. He said, "I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness." "Every sport has to be safe and fair. 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," he said. JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS 'MISSED THE MARK' WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS 'NON-BINARY' He also addressed perhaps his most controversial statement, which he made in 2021, while opposing a Texas bill to keep men out of women’s sports.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
