Texas Senate candidate James Talarico held a fundraiser in Manhattan with hosts linked to an organization that supports access to gender-transition medications and surgery for minors, despite saying weeks earlier that he would support a federal ban on such surgeries.
During a Sept. 8 interview with Fox News, the Democratic Texas legislator—who is challenging Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in a closely watched November election—said he would vote for a nationwide prohibition on gender surgery for minors if elected to the Senate.
Talarico, 37, also said he had been “consistent on this issue.” He argued that his previous vote against a Texas proposal banning transgender surgeries for minors was based on his view that the bill was “overly broad.”
The apparent tension between those statements and his recent fundraising event drew criticism. According to TexasScoreCard.com, Tuesday’s Greenwich Village reception was hosted by three board members of the Human Rights Campaign or its foundation, an organization that advocates what it describes as “gender-affirming care” for transgender minors.
The event hosts were Morgan Cox, a member of the HRC board; author Andrew Solomon, who serves on the HRC Foundation Board of Directors; and former US Ambassador to Spain James Costos, who sits on the boards of both organizations, according to the fundraiser’s invitation.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBTQ political advocacy and lobbying organization in the United States.
A guide published by the HRC Foundation says puberty blockers may be prescribed to adolescents and states that “some trans youth may benefit from gender-affirming surgery,” although it adds that such procedures are rarely available to people under 17.
The guide also includes a chart outlining what it calls the “Common Steps in Gender Transition.” Those steps include puberty blockers for “early- to mid-adolescents,” as well as cross-sex hormone treatment, including testosterone for biological females and estrogen combined with an androgen inhibitor for biological males.
The fundraiser’s ticket prices began at $1,000 for an individual and reached $13,500 for the top “Champion” level, according to the event listing.
Critics portrayed the event as another example of what they described as Talarico’s shifting positions, arguing that he was accepting financial support from HRC-linked figures while publicly distancing himself from gender surgery for minors.
“James Talarico will say anything to get elected; he will change his positions depending on who’s in the room,” said Madison Cercy, a spokeswoman for the Paxton campaign.
“No matter how much flip-flopping he may do, he will remain a radical Democrat who wrote a bill to eliminate the oil and gas industry, fought for passing a state income tax, and the moment he’s sworn in, he’ll begin pushing his radical trans agenda once again,” Cercy said.
“Most Texans believe protecting kids isn’t up for negotiation, and it certainly isn’t for sale at a Manhattan fundraiser,” she added.
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Zach Kraft, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, likewise accused Talarico of frequently changing his positions.
“It is hard to keep track of what James Talarico claims to believe given that he flip flops,” Kraft said. “If you want to know how he will vote in the Senate, look at his record in the Legislature where he voted for taxpayer-funded sex changes for kids of any age and to allow men in women’s sports.”
In 2023, Talarico voted against a Texas House bill that later became law and barred gender surgery, puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors.
Two years earlier, he drew criticism from conservative constituents after saying on the Texas House floor that, under his interpretation of the Bible, “God is non-binary” and is “both masculine and feminine and everything in between.”
Talarico also voted repeatedly against legislation requiring athletes to compete according to their biological sex.
During his Fox News appearance, he attempted to clarify both the “God is non-binary” remark and his earlier statement that “modern science” recognizes six biological sexes.
“I was being provocative with that statement. I get that,” Talarico said. He explained that he meant human categories could not be used to define God, calling that position “not controversial theologically.”
Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis insisted any suggestion the Texas pol changed his position is “inaccurate.”
“As James has said, he opposes gender reassignment surgery for minors. At the same time, he’ll always stand against discrimination, especially when the most powerful politicians in the country bully students to score political points,” said Ennis.
“While Ken Paxton and his billionaire backers spread lies, James will continue bringing Texans together to solve problems, not grandstand them.”
The Greenwich Village fundraiser came a day after Talarico attended another NYC fundraiser, which was thrown by a host committee packed with donors and allies of far-left Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
That gala, which also raised money for Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown’s comeback bid to reclaim his former US Senate seat, was headlined and introduced by actor Robert De Niro.
Its host committee included controversial jeweler Alexis Bittar, a Mamdani fundraiser and transition bundler who also co-hosted a fundraiser last month for radical anti-Israel and Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed — who once referred to America as a “s–thole.”
The Paxton-Talarico race — which is considered a dead heat heading into the Nov. 3 midterm elections — is widely viewed as critical to determining which party secures the Senate majority.