Seth Moulton Challenged Democrats Over Trans Rights After The 2024 Election. Not Anymore.

The Democratic Senate primary in Massachusetts between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton is set to be the first Democrat on Democrat fight defined by the candidates’ positions on transgender issues.

National Democrats have been grappling with how to talk about issues facing trans people since, by their own admission, they were caught flat-footed by Republicans’ focus on anti-trans messaging in 2024. Moulton became the poster boy for Democrats who were looking to distance themselves from trans rights when he told The New York Times shortly after the election that he doesn’t want his daughters “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.”

Trans rights “are going to be a bigger part of the conversation than they would have been had Moulton not said what he said in November,” Tanya Neslusan, executive director of MassEquality, a prominent LGBTQ+ rights group in Massachusetts, told NOTUS. “Moulton calling attention to his position did him a political disservice because now that’s going to be the biggest part of the talking point.”

Some Democratic lawmakers previously told NOTUS that they consider how well trans issues poll in different races when considering how, or whether, to talk about them at all.

But Moulton is running in deep blue Massachusetts, a state with some of the friendliest transgender rights laws in the country. It’s a place where Democrats running for statewide office might want to be louder about their support for the trans community, which is why it was not surprising when Markey took the stage draped in a pink and blue trans rights flag at the Oct. 18 “No Kings” rally in Boston.

“Here in Massachusetts, we stand for what is right. We stand with trans people because trans rights are human rights,” Markey said. He was met with applause from the crowd.

Minutes later, when Moulton took the stage, the congressman was greeted with boos. (In an emailed response to questions, Moulton said: “There were a lot of cheers and a few boos for most of the speakers, including me.”)

“His statements less than a year ago were about throwing trans kids under the bus, and that’s not something that will resonate with voters who are looking for a compassionate leader and for a fighter,” Tyler Hack, executive director of the Christopher Street Project, said of Moulton.

Hack’s group was formed in response to Moulton’s comments around minor trans athletes and supports candidates who advance trans rights. The organization endorsed Markey last week.

Polling has shown that trans issues are not a top priority for most voters. One Democratic strategist familiar with the dynamics of the Markey-Moulton race, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told NOTUS that they don’t think trans rights will be a top issue for the Massachusetts electorate either, though Markey will “try to use it” to say that “Moulton is out-of-step with the state.”

“Markey wants to make it about progressive versus moderate. Moulton wants to make it about a new generation,” the strategist said. “That really boils down the crux of the campaign.”

Moulton does not share the anti-trans positions of many Republicans. He told NOTUS that there is no room in the Democratic Party for complete opposition to trans rights. In his Senate campaign website, he says he will “fight to pass full federal LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination policies” and support the Equality Act. Moulton is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus and has voted against GOP anti-trans bills.

Markey has positioned himself as a top trans rights ally in the Senate. He has led legislation, such as the LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act and the Gender-Affirming Care Act and has called to increase access to gender-affirming hormone therapy. Last Congress, in response to hundreds of anti-trans state bills introduced across the country, Markey was the Senate lead for the Transgender Bill of Rights, which seeks to “protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law.”

In response to a list of questions from NOTUS, Moulton committed to “support and lead legislation like the Transgender Bill of Rights” if elected as senator.

“I understand that some people were hurt by how I framed my comments in the past, and I take that seriously and have listened to their feedback,” he said.

“My intent has always been to push our party to have honest, tough conversations so we can fight back more effectively against the far-right attacks on LGBTQ Americans. I remain committed to protecting the rights and dignity of transgender Americans and to having these conversations with empathy and respect, even when they’re difficult,” Moulton continued.

He added that he has “heard from a lot of LGBTQ+ advocates, both locally and nationally, who have reached out to thank me for my past support and for starting a conversation that our party needs to have about the best way to protect the trans community.”

There is a separate debate raging in the Democratic Party over age and getting the older generation to make room for younger leadership. Markey, 79, has served in Congress since 1976, first in the House and then won his Senate seat in 2013. Moulton, 47, has been in the House since 2015.

Massachusetts advocates say Markey’s record trumps any issues with his longevity in politics.

“When people are looking for younger leadership, they’re usually looking for more progressive leadership,” Neslusan said. “When people are talking about younger leadership stepping up, they’re talking about the Ayanna Pressleys, not the Seth Moultons.”

Moulton has focused on generational change. In a video announcing his candidacy, Moulton said, “I just don’t believe Sen. Markey should be running for another six-year term at 80 years old.”

“Even more, I don’t think someone who’s been in Congress for a half century is the right person to meet this moment and win the future,” he continued.

Moulton’s comments around trans athletes overshadow his record, Massachusetts LGBTQ+ advocates said.

“Here’s the thing, we had just gone through this national election, which was lost obviously by the Democratic Party, and it had major ramifications for … the trans community and the LGBTQ community,” said Jeremy Comeau, co-chair of the Bay State Stonewall Democrats. “And yet, you have this congressperson who we thought was on our side, instead of talking to us, just decided to go out there and make these comments.”

Comeau told NOTUS that he attempted to speak to Moulton about his comments but did not hear back after a conversation with Moulton’s chief of staff, where he requested to talk to the congressman.

“I was unaware that Jeremy wanted to speak with me directly,” Moulton said, and spoke with him on Monday afternoon, after being asked by NOTUS about Comeau’s comments.

Comeau described the conversation as “a very cordial conversation. We had disagreements, we had agreements.”

“We can agree that we can have these conversations, we can be respectful about them. Where we disagree a little bit, I did say, that his initial language that he used was disrespectful,” Comeau said shortly after he finished his call with Moulton. “What he said to me was, ‘if we were to apologize for every little thing, then how are we going to do that?’”

“For something of this magnitude, it would have been nice at the onset of this conversation months ago, when the initial statement was made, if there had been a, ‘You know what? I apologize, I shouldn’t have used that language,’” Comeau continued, referrencing Moulton’s description of trans girls as “formerly male.” “He (Moulton) also did say he hasn’t used that language since. … I can appreciate that he can make that course correction and not use that language again.”

Moulton said that since he made the remark in November, “I’ve spoken with many in the trans community. I’ve listened, I’ve learned, and I understand why those words hurt people. I take responsibility for that.”

“My approach is to engage honestly, even on tough issues, and to make sure our policies reflect our values. That’s what I’ve done in Congress and what I’ll continue to do in the Senate,” Moulton added.

Bethany Andres-Beck, a software engineer who announced a run to replace Moulton after his comments around trans athletes, told NOTUS that seeing Moulton’s campaign highlight his past record supporting LGBTQ+ bills following his comments on trans youth “indicates just how important trans rights are to the race and to the state in general.”

“He’s trying to reinvent himself for a statewide race,” Andres-Beck continued. “We’ve had trans kids in sports for more than a decade, and it’s no big deal. And so when you start bullying kids, that does not play well.”

In a statement to NOTUS, Markey said he was “proud to stand alongside the trans community, in Massachusetts and across the country, to keep fighting for policies that protect and promote freedom and equality.”

“They are our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors, our servicemembers, and I will always fight for their rights to health care, housing and shelter, safety and economic opportunity. Trans rights are human rights,” the senator continued.

Markey has faced challenges in the past: In 2020, he beat then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III by more than 10 percentage points. Recent polling suggests Moulton faces a similar uphill battle.

A late October poll from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, found that generation change does not appear to be a top concern to voters. When asked what top three qualities respondents were looking for when deciding who to support in the Democratic Senate primary, 0% picked “represents a new generation of leadership.” (The three options that came on top were “will challenge President Trump,” “best represents my views on the issues” and “most honest and trustworthy.”)

That same poll found that 51% of respondents said they planned to support Markey, compared to 28% who said they’d back Moulton.

Markey has already scored endorsements from more than half of the Massachusetts congressional delegation and most Democrats in the state’s legislature.

State Rep. John Moran, who criticized Moulton after his comments around trans athletes and endorsed Markey, said that he expects trans issues to gain traction in the race.

“It’s not only about what Congressman Moulton said regarding trans athletes after last year’s election, but also about the decision to prioritize that topic at a time when many in my community were already feeling fearful and vulnerable,” Moran told NOTUS in an email.

“I want to extend some grace here — I don’t think he fully realized how his comments made the LGBTQ+ community feel like we were being kicked while we were down. What made matters worse, in my view, was that instead of offering an apology or clarification, he launched a media blitz that doubled down on his remarks. To me, that seemed to echo the kind of divisive rhetoric that turns a complex issue affecting a small part of the population into a political wedge,” Moran continued.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, who endorsed Markey, told NOTUS that “one of the core values of the Commonwealth is that we look out for everyone,” which, she said, includes the trans community.

But to those on the ground, Markey’s popularity should not be underestimated.

“We had a Kennedy lose to Markey the last time Markey was challenged, you know?” Neslusan of MassEquality told NOTUS while laughing. “Moulton, who has lost several times and does not have that level of popularity — it’s a real long shot.”