Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico says he opposes transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports when safety or fairness is threatened.

Yet his campaign declined to say whether he would support federal legislation broadly protecting women’s and girls’ sports from male competitors, as reported by Fox News.

“As a former public school teacher, James cares about our student athletes — that’s why throughout his career he has opposed trans athletes playing girls’ sports when it jeopardizes safety or fairness,” campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told OutKick on Tuesday.

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“At the same time, he’ll always stand against discrimination, especially when the most powerful politicians in the country bully students to score political points, because his faith teaches him that every child is made in the image of God.”

The campaign did not say whether Talarico would support the Protection of Women’s and Girls’ in Sports Act. The measure failed to advance in the Senate last March when every Democrat senator voted against it.

Talarico also expressed conditional opposition to males competing in girls’ sports during a September Fox News interview. “I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness,” he said.

His record as a Texas state lawmaker, however, includes votes against statewide restrictions on transgender participation.

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He also repeatedly supported amendments that would have created exceptions allowing male athletes to participate in girls’ sports.

In 2021, Talarico opposed House Bill 25, which required public school athletes in interscholastic competition to compete according to the sex recorded on their birth certificates at or near birth, with limited exceptions.

Earlier that year, he voted against SB 29, a bill with a similar purpose.

Talarico authored an unsuccessful amendment that would have removed the HB 25 requirement concerning when sex was entered on a birth certificate, except for clerical corrections. Before HB 25, the University Interscholastic League accepted legally modified birth certificates reflecting gender identity.

He also supported amendments that would have allowed a coach, principal, or school board to approve transgender participation that otherwise would have been prohibited. Those proposals did not specify what safety or fairness standards school officials would have been required to apply.

Talarico’s opposition to statewide restrictions also extended to college sports. In 2023, he voted against Senate Bill 15, which would have barred biological males from competing on women’s college sports teams in Texas.

He also backed an unsuccessful amendment allowing transgender athletes to compete under NCAA or NAIA eligibility requirements. At the time, those organizations’ previous rules allowed males to compete in women’s sports.

Both organizations have since changed their rules. The NCAA now bars male athletes from women’s competition, while the NAIA reserves its female sports category for athletes whose biological sex is female.

During the Texas Tribune Festival in September, Talarico rejected the suggestion that his central position had changed.

WATCH: A giggling James talarico waves a transgender flag as he kills a bill to keep boys out of girls' sports. #TXsen https://t.co/vWH7wy9ZAB

— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) September 30, 2026

“No, my position is exactly the same,” he stated, while again supporting decisions made locally for each athlete and each sport instead of blanket state bans.

Talarico was also pressed about his controversial 2021 statement that “some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports.” He claimed the remark was taken out of context and said he had been discussing elementary school recreation.

In January, Talarico told “The Ezra Klein Show” that local officials should evaluate eligibility, acknowledging that participation would sometimes be prohibited. His campaign still did not explain how he would measure safety and fairness or whether standards would differ based on age or sport.

OutKick also asked whether Talarico would vote for the federal Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would prohibit male participation in female-designated athletics at federally funded institutions. The legislation would define sex through reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

The campaign did not answer that question, propose a federal alternative, or say whether Talarico would vote differently on HB 25 today. It also did not respond to questions about physical advantages, injury risks, roster spots, scholarships, or binding safeguards for local decisions.

The campaign provided no further answers about his birth certificate amendment or whether he still supports eligibility based on legally amended certificates. It likewise did not say whether he continues to favor the NCAA and NAIA approach he previously supported for college sports.

Talarico’s position drew renewed scrutiny after Dallas Cowboys legend Randy White endorsed Republican candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico and Paxton are competing in a close race ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

#TexasSenate

James Talarico (D) tells Fox News he opposes trans athletes competing in women’s sports. “I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety and fairness. Every sport has to be safe and fair.” https://t.co/gXCy7H0N0v — Politics & Poll Tracker (@PollTracker2024) September 9, 2026

“I think that’s a sign that we can’t trust him,” White said of Talarico’s past votes and recent statements.

“He’s going to go with the way the wind flows, whatever he feels like is the best thing for him and what his goals are.”

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