Seth Moulton Faces Protest in Hometown After Controversial Trans Remarks

Representative Seth Moulton faced a protest in Salem, Massachusetts, on Sunday after he recently made controversial remarks about transgender females participating in women’s sports.
Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat who represents the state’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Salem, has faced heat for recently saying that Democrats are out of touch with the majority of the country’s views on issues such as allowing transgender female students to compete in women’s sports.
In a New York Times article published earlier this month, Moulton said Democrats “spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face.”
“No one issue lost us this election, but there is exit polling that shows that cultural issues played an outsized role,” Moulton previously told Newsweek. “We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop.”
Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in the 2024 election to President-elect Donald Trump, Moulton said his party is leaning too heavily on identity politics rather than embracing the issues everyday Americans care about.
Meanwhile, the congressman further told MSNBC that he was “just speaking authentically as a dad” when he told the Times that he doesn’t want his two daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.”
Debates around transgender athletes have soared in recent years, with many conservatives saying that transgender women competing in all-female leagues allow for an unfair advantage against biological girls and women.
Proponents of allowing transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity argue that sports should be inclusive and accessible to all, regardless of gender identity, emphasizing the importance of equality and non-discrimination, pointing out that transgender athletes often face significant barriers in sports, including societal stigma and discrimination.
The issue has been left up for states to decide, with over 20 states implementing policies that restrict transgender athletes’ ability to participate in sports that correspond with their gender identity. Those laws sparked lawsuits, arguing that transgender athletes were being discriminated against.
Kyle Davis, a Democratic Salem city councilor, took to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday to share a “Neighbors Against Hate” rally aimed at celebrating in solidarity with the trans community.
“Please join us in a celebration of the trans and queer community. Our aim for this event is to communicate loud and clear to that we love and stand in solidarity with the trans community on the north shore,” he wrote.
While Davis did not mention Moulton by name, the rally is planned to be outside of Moulton’s downtown office on Sunday.
Speaking to the Patch, Davis said the rally is not only being spurred by Trump’s election victory, but by “Seth Moulton’s recent transphobic remarks.”
In another post on X on Wednesday, Davis noted that local leaders need to “stand with us and reaffirm their commitment to the LGBT+ community.”
Several organizations co-sponsored the protest including: MassEquality, Coalition North Shore LGBTQ Network, LGBT Teens of Cape Ann, Bisexual Resource Center, Fenway Health, Solidarity Rising, Newburyport Pride, Witch the Vote, Progressive Massachusetts, and North Shore Pride.
Newsweek has reached out to Davis and Moulton via email for comment.
The Sunday protest comes after several Democratic leaders condemned Moulton’s remarks.
Massachusetts Democratic Party chair Steve Kerrigan told The Boston Globe that Moulton’s comments “do not represent the broad view of our party.”
On Tuesday, Governor Maura Healey told reporters that Moulton is just “playing politics” and that “it’s important in this moment that we not pick on particularly vulnerable children.”
Though she did not mention Moulton by name, his fellow Massachusetts representative, Democrat Ayanna Pressley, posted to X that she would stand with the LGBTQ+ community.
“I will always stand with trans people and the entire LGBTQ+ community,” she wrote. “This Congresswoman sees you and loves you.”
Moulton previously told Newsweek that the backlash he has faced is indicative of how divided the Democratic Party is, calling for his party to reassess and commit to a plan for the 2026 primaries and the 2028 presidential election.
While Moulton said he will fight for the “rights and safety of all citizens,” including those who are transgender, because the “two ideas are not mutually exclusive, it’s Democrats who are going to be on the front lines and stand up for the rights of every American. But we have to win again first to do that successfully.”
He added: “So we need to start course correcting now, 2026 will be here quickly, and that’s what we should be working toward.”