Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico is facing scrutiny for comments made during a Texas legislature committee meeting suggesting that failure to affirm a child’s “gender identity” amounts to child abuse.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico described refusing to affirm a child’s “gender identity” as “abusive” in 2019. 📺 DETAIL: During a committee meeting in the Texas legislature in 2019, Talarico described refusing to affirm a child’s gender identity as “abusive.” “Some of us I think really do consider this abusive behavior… an unwillingness to identify, acknowledge a child’s gender identity. We consider that abusive to the child, abusive and destructive,” said Talarico at the time. The comments were made during a discussion on HB 1910, a bill aimed at ensuring that parental refusal to affirm a supposedly transgender child’s gender identity would not be considered child abuse in custody cases. Talarico opposed the measure, insisting that failure to consider it abusive could “harm some of our most vulnerable kids.” While the bill failed at the committee stage, a stronger bill ultimately became law in 2025. Talarico also opposed this bill and supported an amendment stating that “rejecting a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation is abuse.” 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Only perverts and pedophiles think about what is in little kids’ pants as much as James Talafreako. He is a truly sick individual for dedicating his life to pushing sex changes on other people’s kids,” said Zach Kraft, a Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman. 🎯 IMPACT: The resurfaced remarks are likely to create problems for Talarico as he contests a conservative state. Currently, the Senate race between Talarico and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is practically neck-and-neck. 📺 FLASHBACK: This revelation comes roughly a week after it was revealed that Talarico, who claims to be a Christian, described Islam and certain other religions as “equal pathways to truth” in a resurfaced video. |
James talarico voted for legislation LAST YEAR to make parents who do not affirm their child's gender identity guilty of child abuse.
"some of us, I think, really do consider this abusive behavior … an unwillingness to identify, or, to acknowledge a child's gender identity, we… pic.twitter.com/XebhZtpDm5
— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) September 14, 2026
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