U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton is holding firm in his assertion, first made after Donald Trump’s win last week, that Democrats need to be willing to rethink their stances on divisive issues like trans rights.
Refusing to do so is an electoral liability, he said in a Monday interview on GBH’s Boston Public Radio.
“We as Democrats are more concerned about offending people and just getting all our words right than actually having legitimate, serious debates about issues that matter,” Moulton said. “And I hate to say it, but if you look at exit polls ... the number-one issue for swing voters who chose Trump was actually the feeling that Kamala [Harris] was more concerned about trans issues than the middle class. So we ignore this at our peril.
“If we can’t come up with a position that the majority of Americans can buy into and agree with — a reasonable, rational position — then guess who’s going to win this debate?” Moulton added. “It’s going to be the Republicans, with their radical agenda that absolutely will take away rights from minorities all across the country. Civil rights and access to health care for trans people. Maybe the right to marry for gays — something that the majority of Americans agree with, but that the Republicans have made clear they want to take away.
“There are a lot of rights that are going to be imperiled here, if we don’t have a more cogent response. And we can’t have a reasonable position if we’re not even allowed to discuss it.”
A Moulton spokesperson said the congressman was referring to a post-election report from Blueprint. According to Blueprint’s polling, which was conducted after the election, the most popular reason that presidential “swing” voters chose Trump over Harris was a belief that Harris was “focused more on cultural issues like transgender issues rather than helping the middle class.”
That same perception was the third-most popular reason to prefer Trump to Harris among all voters, even those who ultimately backed Harris, Blueprint found.
Last week, Moulton told the New York Times that the party’s stance on trans issues had contributed to Democrats’ poor results in the 2024 election, saying: “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face. I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”
The congressman struck a similar note in a subsequent interview with GBH News, saying: “Here we are accusing Republicans of being weird and we’re the ones who are suddenly requiring people to put pronouns in their email signatures. I mean, that’s kind of weird, to be honest ... All of a sudden, we have to change all our values to meet the needs or demands of one very small minority group.”
His comments have been widely rebuked by members of his own party, including several politicians from his hometown of Salem and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who affirmed her support for the trans and LGBTQ+ communities in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that didn’t mention Moulton by name.
In addition, Matt Chilliak, Moulton’s campaign manager and PAC director, resigned last week. Moulton declined to say in his Boston Public Radio interview if Chilliak’s departure was related to his remarks and the backlash they’ve prompted.
Moulton suggested on Boston Public Radio that he may not have worded his remarks as well as he could have.
“One of the things I’ve heard from LGBTQ advocates that have actually been willing to engage in a thoughtful debate — rather than just trying to cancel me like some of our Massachusetts politicos have done — is that, you know, you shouldn’t say formerly male, you should say trans women,” Moulton added Monday.
Still, he said the pushback he’s received proves the very point he’s trying to make.
“How is that when you have one party that just wants to deport millions of people — something that we know is just inherently immoral, and will break up millions of families and members of our communities all across the country — and yet they’re more trusted on immigration?” Moulton asked. “How is it that you have a party that is going to dramatically raise inflation for everyday Americans if they’re able to successfully cut taxes for the rich and put these massive tariffs on our trade … and yet they’re more trusted on the economy?
“It’s because we’re not listening. We’re just shutting down debate.”
GBH News has reached out to Massachusetts’ all-Democrat congressional delegation to see if other members agree that the party shuts down debate on key issues to its own detriment.
Rep. Jim McGovern declined a request for comment through a spokesperson. No other delegation members immediately replied.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement provided by a spokesperson, Steve Kerrigan, the chair of the Mass. Democratic Party, said: “Congressman Moulton is not the only Massachusetts Democrat seeking to have difficult conversations in the wake of the election. This process is critical for the future of not just our Party, but our country. But my hope is that we do it in a thoughtful manner that doesn’t target or demonize anyone.
”Congressman Moulton and I have always had a positive, straightforward relationship and I know that will continue but, as I’ve said, his comments don’t reflect the values of our Party which stands firmly with transgender people and the entire LGBTQ+ community,” Kerrigan added.
