Seth Moulton’s anti-trans rhetoric comes back to haunt him in Senate debate with Ed Markey

Massachusetts Senate candidate Rep. Seth Moulton walked back controversial remarks about transgender athletes during a heated debate Monday.

As he challenges U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in the September 1 Democratic primary, the sitting congressman was pressed to answer for his own rhetorical record. WGBH News’ Adam Reilly questioned comments Moulton made in 2024, when he told The New York Times, “I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.”

Moulton said during the debate that he was a steadfast ally of the entire LGBTQ+ community, including transgender Americans. He also offered a qualified apology for his prior remarks.

Related: Democrat Seth Moulton defends comments on trans athletes amid backlash (exclusive)

“To the trans community feeling the weight and the pain of the (Donald) Trump administration policies. I deeply recognize your trauma, and I'm sorry if my comments hurt you,” Moulton said. “That was not my intention. I am a proud co-sponsor of the transgender bill of rights, a proud repeat co-sponsor of the Equality Act, and I have a 100% voting record with the Human Rights Campaign. If you're in the trans community or you're a trans kid feeling the weight of the Trump administration and the Supreme Court, you matter. You're valued, and I will always have your back.”

He then tried to shift the focus to Markey’s votes to confirm various Trump appointees, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has a long record of opposing LGBTQ+ rights. Rubio, a former U.S. senator, was confirmed unanimously.

Markey, though, turned the conversation immediately back to Moulton’s comments about transgender participation in sports. He stressed his own consistent record of supporting trans youth.

“After the 2024 election, that the Democrats lost, Congressman Moulton then blamed the Democratic Party defense of trans kids as the reason why we lost,” Markey said. “He just took the whole playbook of MAGA and Trump, and he blamed those kids for the loss. He threw them under the political bus. We should have been loving those kids. There's only 12 trans athletes in the whole of the NCAA. We should have been embracing them. Instead, what Congressman Moulton did was he threw them under the bus.”

Markey argued that such rhetoric helped clear the way for the country’s growing anti-transgender movement. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state bans restricting transgender girls and women from participating in female sports.

Related: Pro-trans rival draws cheers after Rep. Seth Moulton booed at Boston No Kings rally

Reilly also pressed Moulton to specifically address his prior comment and asked whether he still feared for his daughters’ safety if they competed alongside transgender girls.

“My kids are young; they play co-ed sports. But the point I made is that as Democrats, we can't have that debate,” Markey said. “That was my full quote, and I think we should have, and I think we should be willing to talk about these issues. But I stand 100 percent with the trans community.”

Moulton has tried to clarify his prior remarks before, including in an interview with The Advocate shortly after the Times interview was first published.

“The reality, whether we like it or not, is that voters were thinking about this issue because Republicans ran hateful but effective ads,” Moulton said at the time. “If we refuse to engage, then Republicans are going to define the terms of the debate. And when they do that, a lot of people are going to get hurt.”