Ken Paxton accuses James Talarico of flip-flopping on trans issues

Republican Ken Paxton was quick to publicly denounce his fellow U.S. Senate candidate, Democrat James Talarico, for apparently changing his stance on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, according to the Austin American Statesman.Paxton’s comments came after Talarico appeared on a podcast earlier this week and stated, “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors.”The comment seemed inconsistent with Talarico’s previous views on trans issues, like when he voted against legislation that banned “procedures and treatments for gender transitioning” for children in 2023.“I think it's clear that this is not about science or medicine, and certainly not about keeping kids safe,” Talarico said at the time before voting “no” on the bill. “I think this is about discriminating against people who are transgender.” Many see Talarico’s flip-flopping as a tactic to combat accusations from conservatives that he’s “too liberal” to represent Texas.“This is just the latest example of Talarico masquerading as a moderate when the truth is he’s the most radical Democrat to ever run statewide in Texas history,” Paxton stated in a news release. “[Talarico] has proven he will lie time and time again because he knows his radical policies are extreme and completely out-of-touch with the people of Texas.”Talarico's communications director, JT Ennis, responded to the accusation, stating Talarico had opposed the 2023 bill (SB 14) because it could also affect “Texas children suffering from rare genetic diseases that have nothing to do with being transgender. … It’s why he supported amendments to fix the bill while banning these surgeries — amendments that were ultimately shot down.”This isn’t the first time Talarico has seemingly backtracked on views around gender. Before entering the race for the Senate, conservatives criticized him for stating that God was a supreme being of “no gender” and that scientists have said that ther