Texas Senate candidate James Talarico called gender denial abusive

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, once described parents who refused to acknowledge their children’s gender identity as potentially engaging in “abusive” behavior.

“I think there are some folks that would think that if you deny your child’s gender identity, that’s incredibly harmful. And whether or not we label it with the term abuse, it’s abusive for sure,” Talarico said while speaking at a committee hearing in the Texas Legislature in 2019.

Talarico’s resurfaced comments add to a growing pile of past remarks that cut against his efforts to paint himself as a moderate on issues like gender, policing and border security as he attempts to win over Texas, a historically Republican-leaning state.

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In the clip, Talarico had been speaking about HB 1910.

The legislation aimed to ensure that parents who refused to affirm their child’s gender identity would not be considered guilty of child abuse in cases deciding custody.

“In determining whether to appoint a party as a sole or joint managing conservator of a child, the court may not consider evidence regarding whether the party demonstrates a history or pattern of acknowledging or declining to acknowledge the child’s gender identity or expression,” its text read.

Talarico opposed the bill, arguing that he would not rule out an overlap: that, in some cases, the lack of acknowledgment could border on abuse.

“My concern is ruling it out as not being abuse, I think, is dangerous and could certainly harm some of our most vulnerable kids in the state.”

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State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, US, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“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,” Talarico said.

At least one Republican slammed Talarico’s stance.

“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,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Although that version of the bill died in committee, a later, stronger version of it eventually passed out of the Texas House in May 2025 and became law.

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James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Round Rock, Texas, US, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Talarico also opposed that version — one of 59 nay votes on the matter. Notably, Talarico also voted in favor of an amendment to sunset the law in 2030 and in support of a separate amendment clarifying that, in the words of its author, “rejecting a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation is abuse” and “should be treated as such under Texas law.”

When asked about the bill and his statements in committee, the Talarico campaign said he supported and respected parental decisions about their children.

“James believes parents have the most important say in decisions about their children, which is why he sponsored a bill to protect parental rights and ensure parents are responsible for the upbringing of their own kids. While James has fought for Texas parents and families, Ken Paxton has endangered them by allowing pedophiles back on our streets,” JT Ennis, a spokesperson for the Talarico campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.