Talarico Now Cites Fairness in Girls’ Sports, but His Texas Record Shows Consistent Opposition

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico says he will oppose trans athletes in girls’ sports if their participation endangers safety and fairness. 

However, his record in the Texas Legislature shows that he has never opposed keeping men out of girls’ sports but instead has voted against measures to protect girls. 

Talarico entered the Texas Legislature in 2018 and began defending “transgender rights.”

During a campaign kickoff in September 2017, Talarico said, “You can’t be a good neighbor if you are bullying kids who just want to use the bathroom.” 

In 2021, there were multiple bills filed for consideration related to transgender athletes in women’s sports, including House Bill 25, which required students to compete in sports based on their biological sex. Talarico voted against the bill; however, it passed and was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Another bill, Senate Bill 29, required school students to compete in athletic competition based on sex. The bill was killed by Democrats, and Talarico was seen, along with his colleagues, waving a transgender pride flag after it failed on the House floor.

He also posted on X, bragging about the work he and his Democrat colleagues did in killing the bill.
 
“We successfully worked with our Democratic colleagues and trans activists to kill SB 29, the bill that attempted to ban trans kids from competing in school sports,” he wrote. 

In July 2021, Talarico went on Fox 7 News and stated that “Gov. Abbott has filled this special session agenda with far-right conspiracy theories about trans children causing problems on sports teams, which we know does not occur in the state of Texas, or critical race theory, which we know is not being taught in classrooms in the state of Texas.” 

In August 2021, during the Public Education Committee, Talarico got into a heated debate with Republican state Rep. Valoree Swanson over protecting girls’ sports. 

During the back-and-forth, Talarico said that Swanson should not call herself a conservative if she’s “asking the government to police people’s private parts.” 

“I sincerely hope you don’t come up to this microphone for this bill and say you care more about winning in sports than the emotional health of trans students,” Talarico said. “Also, if you’re asking the government to police people’s private parts, [you] probably shouldn’t call yourself a conservative anymore.” 

Talarico also said that he hopes “we all recognize that trans girls are girls,” before going on to say that the committee shouldn’t waste its “precious time on a bill like this unless you know for sure there is a problem.” 

During a House floor exchange regarding transgender athletes, sports and HB 25, Talarico told representatives that Swanson’s bill is “an immoral and hateful bill.” 

During an April 2021 hearing on House Bill 4042, Talarico went after witness Donald Garner of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, which he criticized, after comparing the transgender athletes being barred from competing in female sports to African Americans being kept out of professional sports. 

In 2025, Talarico voted against Senate Bill 8, legislation that designated the use of certain spaces and facilities according to sex. The bill was passed and signed into law. 

Recently, however, Talarico has backpedaled on his position, saying that he would oppose trans athletes playing in sports “if it endangers safety or fairness.” 

“I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness. Every sport has to be safe and fair,” Talarico said on Fox News.  

In a recent interview with the Texas Tribune, Talarico maintained that he had not changed his position on the issue, saying that he opposed a bill in the Texas Legislature.

“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.” 

Talarico did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. 

While Talarico has backpedaled on this issue, it also appears that he is doing the same with other issues. 

In regard to border security, Talarico has said on the campaign trail that he supports hiring more Border Patrol agents and expanding surveillance, but his voting record shows he frequently voted against border security measures, often along partisan lines.   

On the issue of police funding, Talarico says he does not support defunding the police. However, Talarico’s campaign committee donated $2,500 to the Austin Justice Coalition in 2020, an advocacy group that pushed for cuts to the Austin Police Department budget. 

The U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Talarico has continued to be a tight race, with recent polling still giving Talarico the lead. 

Election Day is Nov. 3.

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