Democratic Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico has walked back several previous statements on gender identity and transgender athletes, admitting he "missed the mark" on some past comments. Talarico, who is challenging Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, now supports a national ban on gender-affirming surgery for minors and opposes transgender men competing in women's sports if it compromises fairness or safety.
In a recent interview, Talarico stated he would "absolutely" vote in favor of a national ban on gender surgery for minors if elected to the Senate. This represents a shift from his previous stance as a Texas state lawmaker, where he voted against a bill to prohibit certain gender surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone treatments for minors. Talarico explained his prior opposition by saying the bill was "overly broad" and that he had supported amendments to narrow its focus to minors.
Talarico also addressed his views on transgender athletes, stating, "I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness." He emphasized his concern for student athletes, drawing on his background as a former public school teacher. This contrasts with his 2021 position, when he referred to the issue of athletes competing based on biological sex as a "manufactured problem" and voted against legislation to enact such restrictions.
The candidate also revisited controversial remarks from 2021, including the assertion that "God is nonbinary" and that there are six genders. Talarico described the comment about God as an attempt to be "provocative" and to argue against using human categories to define the divine. Regarding the assertion about multiple genders, he clarified that he believes there are two sexes and a small percentage of individuals with genetic abnormalities, admitting he "didn't say it correctly."
Talarico suggested these past statements are being taken out of context by his opponent, Ken Paxton, to distract from Paxton's legal controversies. Talarico characterized Paxton as "the most corrupt politician in Texas."
The Texas Senate race is considered a crucial contest for both parties, with recent polling indicating a surprisingly close race. Talarico indicated he intends to pivot his campaign message to focus on economic issues, such as affordability and the cost of living, for the remainder of the election cycle.
Talarico also voiced criticism of the Supreme Court, calling it "infected" with corruption and advocating for its overhaul through measures like binding codes of conduct for justices, term limits, and potentially expanding the number of justices. He also reiterated his stance that Texas should not have a state income tax, despite having previously voted against a measure to permanently ban such a tax, which he called an example of "government waste at its worst."