Democrat Seth Moulton fires party for shutting down trans athlete debate as ‘out of touch’

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., called out his own political party for not allowing criticism or debate on hot-button issues Transwomen athletes competing in girls’ sports,

Moulton came under fire over the weekend after giving an interview with The New York Times, where he criticized Democrats for refusing to debate issues that concern ordinary Americans.

“Democrats spend too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being completely honest about the challenges facing many Americans. I have two little girls. I don’t want them to be crushed on the playing field by a male or former male athlete, but as a Democrat I should be afraid to say that,” Moulton said.

Others, including progressives, reacted to Moulton’s comments. one of his top aidesHis campaign manager Matt Chiliac resigned shortly after Moulton’s interview with The New York Times.

Shortly after the Democratic operative posted on trump won In polls taken early Wednesday morning, “Millions of Americans showed today that they hate immigrants and transgender people more than they fear fascism.”

“I was speaking authentically as a parent about one of the many issues where Democrats are out of touch with most Americans. And I stand by my position, even if I didn’t use exactly the right words. And I am ready to have this debate as I have been with LGBTQ advocates and others, some of whom agree with me, and others who do not agree with me. But we are engaged in a thoughtful debate,” Moulton said.

“On the other hand, as you mentioned, some people are more interested in embarrassing fellow Democrats than embarrassing the majority of voters when they don’t meet the ideological purity test. And these are the same people who told us not to defund the police, who told us there was no problem at the southern border, who told us inflation was a fluke, whatever that means. And the same people who attacked me when I said Biden should step down because he was going to lose this election.

“Therefore, we have to be prepared for these debates in the party. Republicans are banning books. Democrats are banning debate. “And if we don’t have this debate now and come up with a winning strategy moving forward, Republicans will lose with us in January just like they did last Tuesday,” he continued.

Despite facing public backlash, Moulton said that most of the messages he has received have been supportive, calling them “absolutely perfect”.

“This is our problem. We tried to cancel people instead of actually debating the issues that Americans care about. And it’s bigger than trans issues. It’s about the economy,” Moulton said.

He commented on how Republicans have managed to become more relatable on the economy and the border despite President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals, which Moulton credits for his party’s refusal to reach out to Americans.

“We have to reach out to the majority of Americans. And we can’t do that if we preach all this and don’t listen. We need to listen to American voters and include them in this discussion. If people in our own party can’t have this debate, what does it mean for American voters?” Moulton said.

The congressman also responded to the backlash in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I remain steadfast in my belief in the need to place limits on participation in competitive women’s sports by those who have unfair physical advantages that come with being born male,” she said. “I am also a strong supporter of civil rights for all Americans, including transgender rights. As always, I will fight for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two views are not mutually exclusive, and we may even disagree on them.”

“Yet there are many who, screaming from the extreme left corner of social media, believe that I have failed the undeclared Democratic Party purity test. We did not lose the 2024 elections because of any trans person or issue. We lost in part because we shamed and belittled too many opinions held by too many voters, and that needs to stop,” he added. “Let’s have these debates now, decide on a new strategy for our party because our current strategy has failed, and then unite to oppose Trump’s agenda wherever it threatens American values.”

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.