--- title: "James Talarico walks back past statements on gender and trans athletes" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/james-talarico-walks-back-past-statements-on-gender-and-trans-athletes" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/james-talarico-walks-back-past-statements-on-gender-and-trans-athletes" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/james-talarico-walks-back-past-statements-on-gender-and-trans-athletes.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/james-talarico-walks-back-past-statements-on-gender-and-trans-athletes" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-10T06:45:45.670Z" source_reported: "2026-09-10T04:26:14.000Z" updated: "2026-09-10T06:45:45.670Z" trust_score: 54 critic_score: 49 hype_score: 55 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-10T07:45:18.367923+00:00" --- # James Talarico walks back past statements on gender and trans athletes *The Texas Senate nominee now opposes transgender athletes in girls' sports under certain conditions.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 54 of 100, higher is better. Talarico’s statements are directly quoted across multiple independent digests, giving moderate corroboration. - Craft 49 of 100, higher is better. Digest includes some editorializing and lacks multiple quoted perspectives, limiting craft quality. - Hype 55 of 100, lower is better. Loaded language and sensational framing raise the story’s hype level. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - James Talarico, a Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Texas, has stated he previously "missed the mark" on past comments about gender. - Talarico now says he opposes transgender athletes competing in girls' sports if it endangers safety or fairness. - This marks a change from his previous positions where he opposed restrictions on transgender student-athletes. - Talarico's comments were made during an interview with Fox News. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Texas, has revised statements he made previously concerning gender and transgender athletes. In a Fox News interview, Talarico stated that he had "missed the mark" on some of his past comments. He now says he opposes transgender athletes competing in girls' sports if it endangers safety or fairness. ## Divergent accounts of past statements Reports differ on the specifics of Talarico's past statements and his current position. WLTReport stated Talarico claimed there are "six genders" and is now trying to retract this. Fox News reported Talarico admitted he "missed the mark" on some past statements. Louder With Crowder reported Talarico once said "God is non-binary" and has since doubled down on those statements, though Breitbart reported Talarico stated he was "being provocative" with that specific comment. The Gateway Pundit reported Talarico "suddenly" says there are only two sexes after claiming there were "six genders." ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated digests mention James Talarico's previous claim that "God is non-binary." ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 21% (3) - Centre: 15% (2) - Right: 64% (9) 1 of 15 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-10T07:45:18.367923+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-10T08:00:26.713Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports focused on Talarico's reversal of his stance on transgender athletes in girls' sports. KERA News and The Texas Tribune both highlighted that Talarico's comments on Fox News contrasted with his previous positions in the Texas House, where he opposed Republican restrictions on trans student-athletes. Mediaite reported Talarico ditched his belief that there are six biological sexes, stating he had "missed the mark." ### Centre - Centre-rated reports from The Comeback and Temple Daily Telegram highlighted Talarico's statement that he opposes trans athletes playing in girls' sports if it endangers safety or fairness. Both reports noted this as a reversal of his previous positions taken while in the Texas House. ### Right - Right-rated reports from WLTReport, Fox News, Louder With Crowder, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, NewsBusters, Washington Examiner, and wfmd.com focused on Talarico's backtracking from past statements, particularly his claim about "six genders" or "six sexes." Several reports characterised his past statements as "absurd," "insane gender ideology," or "blasphemous." Washington Examiner and wfmd.com specifically noted Talarico said he "missed the mark" on these statements. Louder With Crowder and Breitbart also mentioned his "God is non-binary" comment, with Breitbart reporting Talarico called it a "provocative" statement. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 1 - mixed: 6 - high: 4 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Portal Mix Vale](https://mixvale.com.br/2026/09/10/senate-candidate-james-talarico-adjusts-views-on-gender-surgery-for-minors-and-transgender-sports-participation) — Senate Candidate James Talarico Adjustments Views on Gender Emergence for Minors and Transgender Sports Participation - [WLTReport](https://wltreport.com/2026/09/09/james-talarico-tries-to-walk-back-absurd-claim-that-there-are-six-genders) — James Talarico Tries to Walk Back Absurd Claim that There Are “Six Genders” - [The Comeback](https://thecomeback.com/politics/james-talarico-trans-athletes-sophie-cunningham.html) — 'I oppose trans athletes playing in girls sports': Top Democrat does not hold back - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/video/6404847510112) — James Talarico admits he's 'missed the mark' on some past statements - [KERA News](https://keranews.org/news/2026-09-09/in-reversal-james-talarico-says-he-opposes-trans-athletes-in-girls-sports-if-it-risks-safety-or-fairness) — In reversal, James Talarico says he opposes trans athletes in girls’ sports ‘if it risks safety or fairness’ - [Louder With Crowder](https://louderwithcrowder.com/talarico-non-binary-comments) — James Talarico Doubles Down On Blasphemous Believe That God Is “Non-Binary” - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/clips/2026/09/09/talarico-i-was-being-provocative-with-the-god-is-non-binary-statement) — Talarico: 'I Was Being Provocative' with the 'God Is Non-Binary' Statement - [RedState](https://redstate.com/kyle-becker/2026/09/09/talarico-flubs-fox-news-interview-he-surrenders-fast-when-insane-comment-comes-back-to-haunt-him-n2206728) — Talarico Flubs Fox News Interview — He Surrenders Fast After Insane Comment Comes Back to Haunt Him - [Temple Daily Telegram](https://tdtnews.com/news/article_61bd91de-c4f2-4505-9fe4-1285d5901b85.html) — Talarico flip-flops, says he opposes trans athletes in girls’ sports 'if it risks safety or fairness' - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/liar-james-talarico-suddenly-says-there-are-only) — James Talarico Suddenly Says There Are Only Two Sexes After Claiming There are “Six Genders” — “I Missed the Mark on Some of My Past Statements” - [The Texas Tribune](https://texastribune.org/2026/09/09/james-talarico-trans-sports-reversal-lgbtq-rights-texas-us-senate-race) — James Talarico reverses stance on trans student-athletes - [NewsBusters](https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/jorge-bonilla/2026/09/09/most-interesting-moments-james-talaricos-fox-news-interview) — The Most Interesting Moments of James Talarico’s Fox News Interview - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/4719159/talarico-says-he-missed-the-mark-in-claiming-there-are-six-sexes) — Talarico says he 'missed the mark' in claiming there are 'six sexes' - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/james-talarico-ditches-belief-there-are-6-biological-sexes-in-interview-with-fox-news-ive-missed-the-mark) — James Talarico Ditches Belief There Are Six Biological Sexes - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/09/talarico-says-he-missed-the-mark-as-he-backtracks-on-controversial-woke-statements) — Talarico says he ‘missed the mark’ as he backtracks on controversial woke statements ## Questions **What did James Talarico previously claim about gender?** James Talarico previously claimed that there are six genders or sexes. He also reportedly stated that "God is non-binary." **What is James Talarico's current stance on transgender athletes?** James Talarico now states he opposes transgender athletes competing in girls' sports if it endangers safety or fairness. This represents a shift from his prior positions. **Where did James Talarico make these statements?** James Talarico made these revised statements during an interview with Fox News. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/james-talarico-walks-back-past-statements-on-gender-and-trans-athletes. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "James Talarico walks back past statements on gender and trans athletes", https://mediabias.news/politics/james-talarico-walks-back-past-statements-on-gender-and-trans-athletes