Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico reversed his past position to oppose trans athletes in women’s sports.
Talarico said he opposes trans athletes as a matter of fairness in an interview with Brooke Taylor of Fox News.
“I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness. Every sport has to be safe and fair,” Talarico said.
“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 added.
Talarico’s newfound position stands in opposition to what he previously said, per The Texas Tribune.
As a state representative, Talarico voted against GOP restrictions barring trans student-athletes from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. He said such proposals amounted to a push for the government to “police people’s private parts” and would harm “the least of these,” a reference to Jesus’ remarks in scripture. And he compared the justifications offered for the bans — that trans athletes had a genetic advantage and excluding them would promote safety — to rationales historically used to bar Black athletes from competing in professional sports.
“Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports,” Talarico said in 2021.
In his interview with Fox News, Talarico said that the past bills presented by Republicans were “overly broad,” adding that the amendments would have given too much power to local communities and school boards.
“I supported amendments that would have given the power to make these decisions to local communities — like conservatives used to believe,” Talarico said. “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.”