An aide to Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts has resigned after Moulton's comments about transgender athletes were criticized by the state Democratic Party and LGBTQ groups.
Matt Chiriak, Moulton's campaign manager and head of his Serving America political committee, left Moulton's office late Thursday. The Boston Globe reported. A spokesperson for Moulton's office did not respond to a request for comment on Chiriak's resignation.
Chiriak reacts to President-elect Trump's victory on Tuesday wrote on social platform X“Today, millions of Americans showed they hate immigrants and transgender people more than they fear fascism.”
In a New York Times article Addressing the Democratic Party's criticism on Thursday, Moulton was quoted as saying that the party had leaned too far into identity politics, allowing Trump and the Republican Party to win a decisive victory.
“Democrats spend too much time trying not to offend anyone, rather than being brutally honest about the challenges facing many Americans,” he said. Ta. “I have two little girls. I don't want them to get run over by a man, or a former male athlete, on the field, but as a Democrat I should be scared to say that.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told the New York Times that transgender girls, whom he calls “biological boys,” should not be able to participate in women's sports.
Moulton, who was first elected to Congress in 2015, is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which promotes LGBTQ equality in the House of Representatives, and has led efforts to ban transgender athletes from sports teams that best fit their gender identity. I have strongly opposed it. Moulton's 2024 re-election campaign was supported by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group.
Moulton co-sponsored House Democrats' Transgender Bill of Rights twice, in 2022 and 2023. This bill guarantees transgender athletes the right to participate in sports teams that match their gender identity.
Last spring, Moulton voted against passing a Republican-backed bill that would have barred transgender student-athletes from sports. Rep. Greg Steube's (R-Fla.) Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act bill would change Title IX to recognize sex as “based solely on the reproductive biology and genetics of the person at birth.” trying to change.
A spokesperson for Moulton's office told The Hill on Thursday that Moulton's comments to the Times were made in a broader conversation, and that Moulton said transgender issues were the only cause of Democratic defeat. He said he did not think that was the reason. Mr. Moulton did not support Mr. Steube's bill because he believed it was too broad a political maneuver by House Republicans, a spokesperson said.
Moulton's comments about transgender athletes were quickly condemned by the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
Steve Kerrigan, chairman of the state Democratic Party, told the Globe that Moulton's comments “do not represent the broader views of our party.”
“The Massachusetts Democratic Party is proud to stand with the LGTBQ+ community, especially our transgender friends, neighbors, and loved ones across the commonwealth,” Kerrigan told the outlet.
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. John Moran, who is gay, called Moulton “weak.” In the post of X.
“No, Seth Moulton, the only thing we here in Massachusetts should not be afraid to say is that if you want to use an election loss as an opportunity to bully the most vulnerable, find another job. We should,” Moran wrote.
“We're going to have to do something about it,” said Jeremy Comeau, co-chair of the Bay State Stonewall Democratic Party, an LGBTQ rights group within the state Democratic Party. wrote the same He said Moulton's assessment of the presidential election results was “100% wrong” and “harmful to the gay community.”
in statement in response to Mass Equality, a statewide LGBTQ rights organization, said in a statement that Moulton's characterization of transgender girls as “men or ex-men” was “harmful and factually incorrect.” The group said in a statement that it had reached out to Moulton to arrange a meeting and have a “productive conversation.”
“Our community has been deeply hurt by these comments, which reinforce harmful stereotypes and undermine the dignity of transgender athletes,” said Tanya Neslusan, the organization's executive director. “We hope that by working with legislators, we can work towards a more comprehensive and informed understanding of transgender issues in sports.”
