James Talarico Clarifies Past Statements on Gender Issues in Interview

<p>In a Fox News exclusive interview, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico expressed support for banning gender surgery for minors and opposed transgender-identifying men competing in women’s sports.</p><p>Talarico also retracted several of his earlier statements, including claims about the existence of six genders and that "God is nonbinary."</p><p>This interview occurs as the Texas Senate race, which recent Fox News polling indicates is closely contested, approaches its conclusion. The outcome is significant for both parties' efforts to secure a Senate majority. Talarico is running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who has faced his own controversies. A Republican defeat in Texas could notably affect President Donald Trump's agenda.</p><p>During the interview, conducted at a food drive campaign event in Dallas, Talarico stated, "Absolutely" when asked if he would support a national ban on gender surgery for minors. He explained his opposition to a Texas bill that aimed to ban such surgeries, describing it as "overly broad."</p><p>"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."</p><p>In 2023, Talarico voted against a Texas bill titled SB 14, which prohibited certain gender surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone treatments for minors. He supported 18 amendments proposed by Democrats to the bill, all of which failed.</p><p>Talarico acknowledged that the issue of men participating in women’s sports is significant in Texas, stating, "I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness." He emphasized the importance of safety and fairness in sports, citing his background as a former public school teacher.</p><p>His comments reflect a change from his previous stance as a Texas state lawmaker. In 2021, while on the Texas House Public Education Committee, he opposed SB 29, which sought to require public-school athletes to compete based on the biological sex listed on their birth certificate, calling it a "manufactured problem." He also voted against HB 25, which enacted similar restrictions.</p><p>Talarico addressed his earlier statement that "God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary," admitting he was being provocative. He explained, "What I was trying to say is that you can't use human categories to define God, and that's not controversial theologically."</p><p>He claimed that his comments have been taken out of context to distract from Paxton's controversies, stating, "Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in Texas and he's gonna try to clip some of my comments, including comments where I was being a little provocative in order to try to distract from that career."</p><p>Regarding his previous assertion about the number of genders, Talarico stated he does not believe there are six sexes, clarifying, "I've missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it. What I meant is that there are two sexes, and then there's a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities."</p><p>He criticized the Supreme Court, describing it as "infected" with corruption and stating it "needs to be overhauled." He expressed his intention to vote for reforms if elected, including binding codes of conduct for justices and term limits, and he is open to discussions about expanding the number of justices.</p><p>Talarico pledged to focus on affordability for the remainder of his campaign, stating, "Everywhere I go across the state of Texas, people are struggling to survive in this economy. They are struggling to afford the basics: groceries, gas, utilities, healthcare."</p><p>On the topic of state income tax, Talarico stated that "we should not have a state income tax" in Texas, despite previously voting against a measure to permanently ban a state income tax, which he described as redundant.</p>