Texas Democrat and Senate candidate James Talarico told Fox News’ Brooke Taylor he will oppose trans athletes competing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness—marking a sharp contrast with how he argued the issue in 2021, according to the Texas Tribune.
What he told 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 in an interview with Brooke Taylor of Fox News. He added: “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 argued in 2021
As a state representative, Talarico voted against Republican bills to bar trans student-athletes from teams aligned with their gender identity, per the Texas Tribune. He said those proposals would have the government “police people’s private parts” and harm “the least of these,” referencing scripture, the Tribune reported. He also compared justifications for the bans—genetic advantage and safety—to arguments once used to keep Black athletes out of pro sports, and said in 2021: “Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports,” according to the Tribune.
How he explains the shift now
In the Fox News interview, Talarico said prior GOP bills were “overly broad.” He said he supported amendments to give decision-making to local communities and school boards: “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.”
