Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton isn’t the only congressman receiving blowback for saying that biological males and transgenders shouldn’t be competing in women’s sports.
More than 30 LGBTQ leaders across the country wrote a letter Friday demanding an apology from Moulton and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-New York, for spreading “harmful misinformation about our community, particularly transgender youth.”
Moulton continues to face stiff backlash after he told the New York Times last week that he’s concerned about his daughters’ safety on the playing field should they be forced to compete against transgender athletes, a subject he noted he’s not even supposed to broach as a member of the Democratic Party.
Suozzi also echoed similar comments to the New York Times after President-elect Trump won reelection: “The Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left. I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports.”
Suozzi, re-elected in a swing district last week, added: “Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.”
In their letter Friday, dozens of LGTBQ leaders blasted Moulton and Suozzi for blaming their party for Trump’s victory and the Republican red wave across the country, saying the claim is “not only inaccurate but also fails to recognize the reality.”
“Americans overwhelmingly support the rights of transgender people,” the letter states. “This support is evident from the recent election of openly transgender candidates across the country, including in traditionally conservative areas.”
“Attacking the transgender community is a distraction tactic that Republicans have used time and again when they lack solutions to real problems,” it continues. “Democrats cannot fall into this trap. Instead of blaming marginalized communities, we should focus on addressing the challenges that impact all Americans, such as healthcare access, economic inequality, and public safety.
Jeremy Comeau, co-chairman of the Bay State Stonewall Democrats, an advocacy group for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a Cape and Islands representative on the Democratic State Committee, is leading the push for an apology from Moulton and Suozzi.
Massachusetts state Reps. John Moran, Jack Patrick Lewis and Natalie Higgins, and state Sens. Jo Comerford and Julian Cyr, had all signed onto the letter as of Friday morning.
The letter follows an initial demand for an apology that former interns and staffers penned to Moulton last weekend. That request also took exception to the congressman saying that pronouns in email signatures are “kind of weird.”
MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan has stated that Moulton’s comments don’t reflect the state party’s values, while Gov. Maura Healey is alleging the Salem representative of “playing politics.”
Despite the backlash, Moulton told the Herald on Tuesday that he is not anti-trans. The demands for an apology and calls for him to resign, he said, demonstrate the exact problem he was describing.
“That’s why it’s important for Democrats to win this debate,” he said. “Because, if we refuse to have the debate, Republicans will settle it on their terms and that’s dangerous for trans people and all other kinds of minorities across America.”
Originally Published:
