Texas Democrat James Talarico recently said he opposes gender reassignment surgeries for minors, despite voting against Texas legislation banning certain gender-transition procedures and treatments for children and arguing that restrictions on treatment for extreme gender dysphoria could harm minors.
Talarico, now a Texas U.S. Senate candidate running against Attorney General Ken Paxton, made the comment during a recent podcast appearance, saying, “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors.”
However, clips from the Texas House floor during the 2023 debate over SB 14, provided exclusively to Breitbart News, show Talarico arguing against the bill he ultimately voted against. The legislation was described as “relating to prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria and on the use of public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments.”
Talarico asserted that “gender … is a spectrum,” echoing his earlier claim during a 2021 Texas House public education committee meeting that “modern science” recognizes “six” biological sexes.
He further stated, “Before this bill was filed, there was plenty of evidence that not treating extreme gender dysphoria can not only lead to suicide, but can lead to psychological and physical harm to a child, and since this bill is filed, the New England Journal of Medicine released a study of 350 young people with gender dysphoria who were receiving hormonal therapy, and it showed that that therapy reduced anxiety and depression … I’m asking us to follow that evidence, follow that science, and I’m disturbed that this body is not willing to let doctors make these decisions,” Talarico said.
Talarico added that doctors had a “moral obligation” under the “Hippocratic oath” to treat children’s gender dysphoria.
The Presbyterian seminarian and former teacher previously described denying children sex-change treatments as “child abuse.”
RNC spokesman Zach Kraft told Breitbart News: “James Talarico is a world class creep who has spent years thinking about what is in little kids’ pants. Implying that suicide is an option for children if they don’t want to get a sex change is disgusting and raises concerns about what sort of twisted material is on Talarico’s hard drives.”
On Thursday, Talarico asserted that his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) were “in no position to tell anybody what a real man is.”
Regarding abortion, Talarico has repeatedly referred to women as “neighbors with a uterus,” while saying biological men need abortion care.
In March, he defended past comments suggesting God is beyond gender after podcast host Tim Miller asked him about God’s genitalia. Talarico, who had previously suggested God is “non-binary, said he had been “provocative” politically but contended the claim was not theologically controversial, saying, “Most Christians believe that God is beyond gender.”
On “A Superbloom Podcast,” Candice King asked Talarico to name something he loves besides friends or family. Talarico replied, “I love — and I’m just going to say this because it’s on my mind — the trans children who showed up yesterday at the State Capitol to advocate for their humanity. They shouldn’t have to, but it was an inspiration to watch.”
In 2021, Talarico said his office was the first in the state Capitol’s history to “add pronouns to our official business cards.” He has also supported males playing on female sports teams based on gender identity.
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