The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to bar transgender women and girls from participating in school athletic programs designated for female students, with local Congressman Seth Moulton joining most Democrats in voting against the measure. In November, Moulton faced a backlash for his comments about trans student athletes.
“This is not the sort of balanced, fairness-oriented policy I’ve advocated for, and I won’t vote yes on this bill just because it is the first option that comes to the floor,” Moulton said Tuesday.
The bill, which now goes to the Senate, prohibits federal funding to K-12 schools that have transgender students on girls sports teams.
In November, Moulton said, “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face. 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.”
He went on to defend his statement in several interviews.
On Tuesday, he said, “To be clear, I firmly believe that there should be reasonable restrictions on transgender athletes in competitive sports. This is a matter of safety and fairness for female athletes who have worked exceptionally hard to compete. There is no denying that there are biological differences that result from being born male. Ignoring this scientific fact and opposing any attempt at regulation is not only wrong, but it undermines what I believe should be a broader effort to enshrine core civil rights protections for transgender Americans.”
Moulton, who grew up in Marblehead, continued, “The problem with this Republican bill, however, is that it is too extreme; it simply goes too far. Because it fails to distinguish between children and adults and different levels of athletics, school-aged kids who simply want to play recreational sports and build camaraderie like everybody else could be targeted by the federal government. My kids play co-ed sports today just as I did when I was their age, and I don’t want any kids their age subjected to the invasive violations of personal privacy this bill allows.”
Moulton gave an example of why the bill is unfair.
“Under this law, a 10-year-old girl who seems ‘too tall’ or even just ‘too good’ could be targeted by officials and forced to release medical information or have her private parts inspected, which is disturbing to say the least and a slippery slope for school policy and youth athletics,” he said.
Moulton also referenced his past statements.
“While I’m a proud Democrat, I’ve stated my belief that our party has failed to come to the table in good faith to debate an issue on which the vast majority of Americans believe we are out of touch,” he said. “We should be able to discuss regulations for trans athletes in competitive sports while still staunchly defending the rights of transgender Americans to simply exist without fear of danger or oppression. But instead, we’ve run away from the issue altogether. As a result, Republicans are in charge and continue to set the agenda with extremist bills like this.”
His statements after the election outraged many Democrats.
Walter Horan, a member of Marblehead’s Democratic Board of Registrars, told the Current that Moulton’s comments about transgender women were “Trump-like, insulting and inflammatory.”
“Trans women are not playing soccer to bowl over little girls,” he said. “They are playing because they want to participate — they want to belong. Arbitrarily saying that they are a threat to someone born female is simply flawed. The congressman is simply picking on one small marginalized group.”
Mayor Dominick Pangallo and members of the Salem Public Schools sent out a statement last fall denouncing Moulton’’s comments “in the strongest terms possible.”
“We want to reassure our LGBTQ+ students that we as direct leaders will always celebrate your identities, support your dreams and aspirations, and applaud your accomplishments,” the statement read. “Neither fear nor political whim will shake our commitment to you.”
The statewide grassroots advocacy organization MassEquality issued a statement of its own, noting that Moulton’s comments were ill-timed, coming shortly before the 25th anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance in Boston and as the transgender community “is grappling with both the personal and political challenges of the current moment,” including the election results and the threat posed by Project 2025.
Kris Olson contributed reporting to this article.
