Northeast
Dem Rep. Seth Moulton gets calls to resign, accused of 'betrayal' for speaking out against trans athletes
Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton was criticized by members of his own party in the last day after speaking out against the left’s stance on transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports.
In an interview with The New York Times, Moulton expressed his feelings on the issue, citing his position as a father to two daughters.
“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” he said. “I have two little girls. I don’t want them 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.”
Moulton doubled down on the stance in a statement released Friday evening.
“I stand firmly in my belief for the need for competitive women’s sports to put limits on the participation of those with the unfair physical advantages that come with being born male,” his statement said. “I am also a strong supporter of the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender rights.
“I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them. Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test.
“We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop. Let’s have these debates now, determine a new strategy for our party since our existing one failed, and then unite to oppose the Trump agenda wherever it imperils American values.”
The comments have prompted vicious condemnations against Moulton, many by his Democratic allies.
Massachusetts state Rep. Manny Cruz suggested Moulton’s stance was “a betrayal” in a post on X.
“Congressman Moulton, your commitment then was protecting the LGBTQ community, standing up for their rights, and compassion. Now, on a political whim, our Congressman has betrayed the words he signed onto just last year by scapegoating transgender youth in sports for the failures of the national Democratic Party and leaders to win the presidential election. You said you ‘would stand with Nagly and with all our community … against all forms of bigotry, discrimination, bullying, and harassment,’” Cruz wrote.
Salem city Councilor Kyle Davis, another Democrat, called for Moulton to resign.
“I’m not looking for an apology from [Moulton], I’m looking for a resignation,” Davis wrote in a post on X.
Massachusetts state Sen. Jamie Eldridge also condemned Moulton in a post on X and discouraged other Democrats in his state from following Moulton’s lead.
INSIDE SAN JOSE STATE’S POLICE BATTLE TO PROTECT WOMEN’S ATHLETES THREATENED BY A TRANSGENDER CULTURE WAR
“Do not abandon our values,” Eldridge wrote in a message to fellow Massachusetts Democrats.
Moulton is not the only Democrat who has pulled away from supporting biological males in women’s and girls sports in the recent election cycle. In the same New York Times article Moulton was cited in, New York Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi also spoke out against it.
“The Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left,” Suozzi said. “I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls sports.
“Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.”
Democrats who have previously voted for laws that would enable transgender inclusion in women’s sports have publicly denounced their support for the concept in the weeks leading up to Election Day. These Democrats include Texas Rep. Colin Allred, Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola.
Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown recently defended himself when being linked to the issue by claiming he was never in favor of allowing biological males in women’s sports.
“In Ohio, this has already been banned,” Brown boasted in a campaign ad released in October.
However, some in the party have continued to advocate for transgender inclusion and the right of transgender athletes to compete against biological females.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked the Green Party presidential ticket after the party’s vice presidential nominee, Butch Ware, spoke out against transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“I don’t think that biological males should play in female sports,” Ware said in a video posted to X by lawyer and columnist Olayemi Olurin. “I think it gives an unfair, you know, competitive advantage.”
Ocasio-Cortez responded to the video, labeling the ticket “predatory.”
The Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule in April that clarified that Title IX’s ban on “sex” discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions.” And while the administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women’s sports.
Ocasio-Cortez argued the reform did not go far enough in favor of transgender people and, specifically, transgender athletes who want to compete in women’s sports.
“Absolutely no reason for the Biden admin to do this. It is indefensible and embarrassing. The admin can still walk this back, and they should. It’s a disgrace,” Ocasio wrote in response to a report that the change would allow schools to bar transgender athletes from women’s and girls sports.
Bills like the Equality Act and a Transgender Bill of Rights have been proposed and co-sponsored by Democrats, which would help enable transgender inclusion in women’s sports at a national level.
Students hold flags as they protest against Katy ISD’s new transgender policy outside the school district’s educational support complex Aug. 30, 2023, in Katy, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
President-elect Trump has suggested a federal ban of transgender inclusion in women’s and girls sports.
In June, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents to weigh in on whether transgender athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex.
Sixty-five percent answered that it should either be never or rarely allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult transgender female athletes competing on women’s sports teams, 69% opposed it.
The United Nations released study findings that say nearly 900 biological females have been denied medals in sports because they were beaten out by transgender athletes.
The study, titled “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said that more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” the report said.
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By Stefanos Chen, Maria Cramer, Christopher Maag, Wm. Ferguson, Sutton Raphael and Laura Salaberry
June 16, 2026
While the veracity of the rumors involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Boston Celtics continue to be debated, there are a couple of very important people are missing about all of this should this trade come to pass.
Boston’s style of play will not change, and simply swapping Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo doesn’t change the trajectory of the team so significantly that Brad Stevens’ work will be done.
For some reason, there is a school of thought that acquiring Antetokounmpo, a noted non-shooter, would materially change Boston’s offensive strategy. It won’t. It doesn’t mean things won’t be a little different, but this notion that Antetokounmpo will force Mazzulla to scrap his approach and try something new is false.
The Bucks have routinely been in the top five in three-point attempts beginning in the 2018-19 season, Antetokounmpo’s first MVP run. Beginning in that season, they have ranked second, fourth, eighth, fifth, fourth, fifth, 18th, and 10th. The last two seasons when they dropped out of the top were coached by Doc Rivers.
According to PBPStats.com, Antetokounmpo has assisted on more three-pointers than two-pointers in each of the past two seasons, with a low of 209 three created in in the 2023 season, and a high of 290 created the following year. Over his career, he has assisted on 2,325 three-pointers. That’s almost as many as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White have made combined (2,437) over their entire careers.
It should be no surprise that Antetokounmpo is a three-point generating machine. His drives are massively effective, and they generally require a lot of defensive help. That opens up passing lanes to shooters, which Antetokounmpo finds regularly.
If anything, we could see Boston’s three-point volume go up. Brown’s closest season generating that kind of three-point volume was this past season when he created 196 over 71 games. By contrast, Antetokounmpo created 135 over 36 games. So anyone pushing for the Antetokounmpo trade thinking it will force Mazzulla’s hand to change strategies is sorely mistaken. “Mazzulla-ball” will probably take off under these circumstances.
Which brings us to the work Stevens will have to do once they theoretically acquire Antetokounmpo.
Giannis flirted with some volume three-point shooting a few years ago, averaging 4.7 attempts in 2020, his second MVP season, and 3.6 in each of the next two, but he’s a career 28.5% shooter from deep who peaked at 34.7% in his rookie season. Mazzulla is willing to go with one non-shooter on the floor, but generally not two.
So where does that leave Neemias Queta?
How would the Celtics build an offense with Queta, a non-shooter, and Antetokounmpo on the floor at the same time? The drives that Antetokounmpo is known for would be clogged with defenders who already know to build a wall to prevent him from getting to the rim. What worked in Milwaukee was playing Brook Lopez at center and having him stretch the floor. Boston doesn’t have that element right now. The closest thing they had to that, Nikola Vucevic, never got his footing in his short stint in Boston and seems to be done here.
A straight swap of Antetokounmpo and Brown will obviously upgrade a top 15 player to a top five player, but Brown led the NBA in two-point attempts per game last season with 16. At his peak, Antetokounmpo averaged 17 or 18 two-point attempts per game, but Brown’s three-point shooting does add an element of floor spacing that Antetokounmpo doesn’t. A straight swap of those two players creates a bit of a fit issue with the current starting center that would have to be addressed.
This also doesn’t solve Boston’s need for a third scorer and some punch off the bench. Stevens will still have to use his mid-level exception to find that no matter which of the two stars is in Boston to start the season.
We can debate whether Antetokounmpo or Brown make Boston more of a favorite next season, but that debate is leading people down some wrong paths. Giannis isn’t some cure for the three-point-heavy Celtics offense. In fact, it might be more appropriate to call him Gasoline Antetokounmpo for what he might do for the shooting volume. And any notion that everything is fixed with Antetokounmpo in the fold is wrong. Stevens will have to solve some fit issues and still address needs that exist today.
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As schools close for the summer, many children lose access to meals they rely on during the school year.
However, once again, CitiParks has teamed up with Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Turner’s, Monteverde’s, and the American Dairy Association to continue their free summer meal program. From now until mid-August, any child under the age of 18 can receive free breakfast, lunch and snacks at eight rec centers and more than 40 partner locations across Pittsburgh.
They announced the continuance of the program on Tuesday at the Super Playground in Highland Park, where kids enjoyed face painting, creating their own paintings on canvases, live music and a puppet show, among other activities. CitiParks’ Roving Art Cart hosted the event.
Last year, they provided more than 70,000 breakfast meals, more than 100,000 lunch meals, and more than 20,000 snacks, free of charge.
“This program reflects what can happen when city government, schools, nonprofits and community organizations work together toward a common goal,” said Eric Sloan, the city’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “Together, we’re helping to ensure that children remain healthy, active and connected throughout the summer.”
“Our work does not end when the school year ends, and while the school year may end in June, the need for reliable access to nutritious food does not,” said Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters, who encouraged families to both take advantage of this program and spread the word to other families who may need it.
Kelsey Gross, director of child nutrition programs for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, said an average of nearly 54,000 children per day in Allegheny County rely on school meals. According to Feeding America’s research, 20,000,000 students nationwide were eligible for free and reduced-price school lunches a year ago. But fewer than 5,000,000 participated in summer meal programs. That’s a gap they hope to reduce.
“Because that’s exactly what this program is about: making sure every child has the resources they need to thrive all summer long,” said Sloan.
“A healthy meal helps students to focus, to engage and succeed in the classroom, and that understanding guides our work every day,” said Walters. “It is why programs like Summer Meals are so important.”
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