Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico now says he will oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports “if it endangers safety or fairness,” a position he framed around 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.”
What he said before
Per The Texas Tribune, as a state representative Talarico voted against GOP restrictions barring trans student-athletes from playing on teams that align with their gender identity. He said those proposals pushed government to “police people’s private parts” and would harm “the least of these,” a scriptural reference. He also compared the justifications for bans — claims of genetic advantage and safety — to rationales once used to bar Black athletes from professional sports. “Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports,” Talarico said in 2021, according to the Tribune.
How he explains it now
In the Fox News interview, Talarico described past Republican bills as “overly broad.” The account also says “the amendments would have given too much power to local communities and school boards.” Talarico, however, said, “I supported amendments that would have given the power to make these decisions to local communities — like conservatives used to believe,” adding, “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.”
