James Talarico voted against the bill to ban transition surgeries on children in Texas.
Posted by The Benny Show, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
The Benny ShowOct 28, 2026
Multiple tier-1 sources confirm Talarico voted against Texas's 2023 SB 14, which banned gender-transition surgeries for minors (and other care), so the claim's core assertion holds. The bill was broader than surgery alone, and Talarico voted for narrower amendments limited to surgeries, but the claim itself is accurate on the core vote.
What was said
… How do why did you switch? Also, why are all of your views different? Is it not because you're now in a general election, and you know that the voters of Texas don't agree with your positions? You voted for things things you voted for. He voted they tried to ban transition surgeries on children, and we did it in Texas. How did he vote? He voted no. Now he says he's, he's, he's not for that, so he's literally changed from legislative session voting to saying he's completely changed his positions. What explanation do we have? The people in Texas don't agree with him, of course. …
The Benny Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. PolitiFact reports that Talarico, as a Texas state representative in 2023, voted against SB 14, which prohibited gender-reassignment medical interventions for children.[1]
Supports. FactCheck.org and CNN both state that Talarico voted against the 2023 Texas state bill that banned gender-affirming care for minors, including surgeries, and that he voted for amendments that would have kept only the surgery ban.[2][4]
Supports. The Texas Tribune and Dallas News report that Talarico opposed the underlying GOP bill because it was overly broad, while supporting amendments that would have banned surgeries for minors.[5][6]
Supports. The Texas House member profile confirms Talarico's House service during the 2023 session, when the vote occurred.[3]
Context. The 2023 bill restricted more than surgery, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers, so the claim is accurate on the vote but the ads' broader framing about taxpayer funding is what fact-checkers rated false.[1][4][7]
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Texas ad distorts James Talarico's vote on gender-affirming care for ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Republican Ads Distort the Facts in Claiming Democratic ...factcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Member profile for James Talaricolrl.texas.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Fact check: Republicans' deceptive ads on key Democratic ... - CNNcnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 5In 2026 election, James Talarico moderates on some issuestexastribune.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Talarico says he hasn't changed his views to win Texas’ Senate seatdallasnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7GOP ad hits James Talarico on transgender surgeries for minorsyahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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