Around New England
Seth Moulton Doubles Down On Opposition To Transgender Athletes In Women’s Sports
November 12, 2024
U.S. Representative Seth Moulton (D-Salem) is standing firm in his belief that males don’t belong in women’s sports, amid liberal backlash.
Moulton doubled down on his belief that boys and males who identify as transgender shouldn’t be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
“I stand firmly in my belief for the need for competitive women’s sports to put limits on the participation of those with the unfair physical advantages that come with being born male,” Moulton told WCVB News this past weekend. “I am also a strong supporter of the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender rights. I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them. Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test. We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters, and that needs to stop. Let’s have these debates now, determine a new strategy for our party since our existing one failed, and then unite to oppose the Trump agenda wherever it imperils American values.”
Moulton first took this stance publicly on Thursday, November 7.
“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Moulton told the New York Times. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”
Moulton faced some backlash for his stance.
His campaign manager, Matt Chilliak, resigned, according to WCVB. Plus, the Salem School Committee issued a statement denouncing his words.
“We are a district whose values are belonging, equity, and opportunity, and we serve all of our students,” state Representative Manny Cruz, the vice chairman of the Salem School Committee, said in the statement, according to the report. “This is not the time to be scapegoating our kids for the failure of national Democratic politics.”
The pro-transgenderism organization Mass Equality also attacked Moulton for taking this position. The organization said that his words will “reinforce harmful stereotypes.”
“Our community is deeply hurt by these remarks, which reinforce harmful stereotypes and undermine the dignity of transgender athletes,” Tanya Neslusan, executive director of Mass Equality, said in a press release posted to X (formerly known as Twitter). “We hope that by engaging with the Congressman, we can work toward a more inclusive and informed understanding of transgender issues in sports.”
A June 2023 Gallup poll found that most Americans agree with Moulton; it said 69 percent oppose letting male transgender-identifying athletes compete on women’s sports teams, while just 26 percent thought the males should be allowed to compete on the women’s side.
Moulton has represented the Sixth Congressional District of Massachusetts since 2015.
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