Talarico said parents who don't transition their kids are "abusive "

Ken Paxton has resurfaced on X a clip of James Talarico that every Texas parent should hear.

During a Texas House hearing on HB 1910, lawmakers were debating whether a parent’s refusal to acknowledge a child’s gender identity could be used against that parent in a custody or abuse case.

Talarico objected to taking that possibility off the table.

His words were:

“I think there are some folks that would think that if you deny your child’s gender identity that that’s incredibly harmful. And whether or not we label it with the term abuse, it’s abusive for sure.”

That is not campaign spin.

That is what he said.

And for me, that statement is deeply disturbing.

The issue is not whether families should love their children. Of course they should.

The issue is whether government should ever be allowed to treat a parent’s disagreement over gender identity as abusive behavior in a custody context.

That is an enormous amount of power.

Once the word “abuse” enters the legal system, parents are no longer having a private disagreement inside their own home. They may be dealing with courts, judges, child-welfare agencies, lawyers, and potentially the question of custody itself.

HB 1910 attempted to prevent a court from using a parent’s decision to acknowledge or decline to acknowledge a child’s gender identity as evidence when determining custody. Talarico argued that ruling such conduct out categorically could be dangerous.

That is the record voters should examine.

And this issue is even more important now because Talarico is no longer simply a state representative making comments in a committee hearing.

He is running for the United States Senate.

A senator votes on federal judges.

A senator votes on national legislation.

A senator influences education, healthcare, civil-rights law, family policy, and the broader direction of the federal government.

That makes his philosophy on parental authority relevant far beyond one old hearing.

To be precise, the available record does not show Talarico explicitly saying that every parent who refuses to transition a child should automatically lose custody.

But he did say that denying a child’s gender identity could be “abusive,” and he opposed legislation designed to keep that disagreement from being used in custody determinations.

That alone deserves serious public scrutiny.

Texans should watch the original clip.

Read the bill.

Listen to Talarico’s explanation today.

Then ask the fundamental question:

Should the government ever have the power to treat a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s gender identity as evidence of abuse?

That question is bigger than campaign advertising.

It goes directly to who has primary authority over children—the family or the state.

And in a U.S. Senate race, Texans deserve a candidate who defends children and their parents.

According to his statement Talarico might not be that person.