U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who is challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary, apologized for the hurt caused by controversial remarks he made about transgender athletes following Kamala Harris’s loss in the 2024 presidential election.
Moulton, 47, and Markey, 80, sparred during an August 3 debate aired on Boston PBS affiliate WGBH ahead of the September 1 primary. WGBH News’ Adam Reilly asked Moulton about comments he made to The New York Times in 2024, attributing Democrats’ electoral losses to positions on hot-button cultural issues that he argued were out of step with most Americans.
In the Times interview, Moulton cited allowing transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their gender identity rather than their assigned sex at birth as one such unpopular position.
“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” he said at the time. “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 previously sought to clarify his remarks in a 2024 interview with The Advocate shortly after the Times article was published. He argued that his comments were not intended to undermine transgender rights, but to highlight the need for Democrats to confront Republican attacks head-on. Citing a post-election poll, Moulton said many Trump voters had been heavily influenced by Democrats’ perceived positions on cultural issues, including transgender rights.
“The reality, whether we like it or not, is that voters were thinking about this issue because Republicans ran hateful but effective ads,” he told the publication at the time. “If we refuse to engage, then Republicans are going to define the terms of the debate. And when they do that, a lot of people are going to get hurt.”
As he challenges Markey, a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community, Moulton has faced criticism from queer advocates over his remarks. Some LGBTQ spectators booed him as he marched in the Boston Pride Parade in June.
Responding to Reilly’s question during the debate, Moulton again sought to portray himself as an ally to the transgender community, citing his record of supporting pro-LGBTQ legislation in Congress. He also offered a qualified apology for his 2024 remarks.
“To the trans community feeling the weight and the pain of the [President Donald] Trump administration policies, I deeply recognize your trauma, and I’m sorry if my comments hurt you,” Moulton said. “That was not my intention.”
He added: “I am a proud co-sponsor of the transgender bill of rights, a proud repeat co-sponsor of the Equality Act, and I have a 100 percent voting record with the Human Rights Campaign. If you’re in the trans community or you’re a trans kid feeling the weight of the Trump administration and the Supreme Court, you matter. You’re valued, and I will always have your back.”
Moulton then pivoted to Markey’s votes to confirm Trump nominees with histories of anti-LGBTQ advocacy, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator.
But Markey fought back, pressing Moulton on his comments about transgender athletes and contrasting them with his own record of supporting transgender rights.
“After the 2024 election, that the Democrats lost, Congressman Moulton then blamed the Democratic Party defense of trans kids as the reason why we lost,” Markey said. “He just took the whole playbook of MAGA and Trump, and he blamed those kids for the loss. He threw them under the political bus. We should have been loving those kids. There’s only 12 trans athletes in the whole of the NCAA. We should have been embracing them. Instead, what Congressman Moulton did was he threw them under the bus.”
Markey also linked Moulton’s rhetoric to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rationale when it ruled in June that states may ban transgender girls and women from competing on female-designated sports teams.
Reilly also pressed Moulton to address his comment about fearing for his daughters’ safety if they competed against transgender girls.
“My kids are young — they play co-ed sports,” Moulton responded. “But the point I made is that as Democrats, we can’t have that debate. That was my full quote, and I think we should have, and I think we should be willing to talk about these issues. But I stand 100 percent with the trans community.”
Two parents in Maryland are suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over the school system's policies affirming the gender identity of transgender students.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, was brought by the conservative, anti-LGBTQ legal organization America First Legal on behalf of John and Jane Doe. It accuses staff members at an unidentified county high school of lying to the Does about their child, Mary Doe, and her gender identity.
The Does allege that the school "socially transitioned" Mary by using a masculine name and male pronouns without informing them or obtaining their consent. They are asking school officials to use Mary's given name and female pronouns and a federal judge to declare the district's transgender-affirming policies illegal.
A new survey from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation finds that LGBTQ consumers are reducing support for -- and directing their spending away from -- companies that have publicly rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in response to pressure from the Trump administration and conservative activists.
Among the companies that LGBTQ consumers are abandoning are Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Home Depot, all of which scaled back diversity initiatives in response to pressure from conservative activists, despite previously marketing themselves as supportive of LGBTQ inclusion.
Rod Joseph, one of four Republicans running in Florida's Democratic-leaning 20th Congressional District, recently told the Sun Sentinel's editorial board that he believes everyone is "born straight" and that sexual orientation is a "preference," not an inherent trait.
"You cannot be born gay. That's impossible biologically," Joseph said during the interview. "Sexual preference from the Roman Empire to date, it's always a preference."
An evangelical Christian, Joseph also claimed that people are indoctrinated or influenced into becoming gay or LGBTQ, asserting that most LGBTQ people were sexually abused as children.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.