Transgender Debate, Sharp Divisions On Display At U.S. Rep. Moulton's Peabody Town Hall

PEABODY, MA — Sharp divisions among North Shore residents — especially those within the Democratic party when it came to transgender support and rights, immigration, and taking stands for progressive values — were aired during a lively and occasionally contentious public town hall that U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton hosted at Peabody City Hall on Wednesday night.

Moulton was on the receiving end of challenges from critics who support President Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants, as well as those within his own party who advocated taking a strong stand against Trump policies rather than engaging in what they believe to be a misguided search for common ground with Republicans.

Moulton stood his ground on most issues, including his November assertion that Democrats were out of touch with the rest of the country in parts of the transgender debate on athletics, when he said he did not want his young daughters getting "run over" by male or formerly male athletes on the soccer field.

"Your generation just swung toward Trump by about 20 points," Moulton answered one question from someone who appeared to be in his 20s who called for a form of progressive resistance against Trump policies. "So you're not a monolithic representation of your generation. In fact, we saw some of the biggest swings toward Trump in 'blue' cities. Massachusetts, as a Commonwealth, swung more toward Trump than many other states in the union."

Moulton spoke of those on the left trying to "cancel" him after his transgender comments that he said put many Democrats out of touch with "everyday Americans" and were a key reason why the party suffered such losses in the November election. He specifically called out the Salem School Committee for denouncing his comments rather than engaging in a debate about them where they may discover more common ground.

• U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton: 'I'm Not Going To Apologize'

"We need to do a lot more listening and a lot less preaching," Moulton responded. "You sounded very preachy as you were telling me what to do. I don't think that's a strategy to win over voters because I heard a lot of Americans say to me: 'I know that guy's crazy. But, God, you Democrats are so out of touch. You are so out of touch.'

"When I say something that 80 percent of Americans agree with, and I get the kind of backlash that you've seen, that's an example."

Salem City Councilor Kyle Davis was among those who organized a protest outside of the town hall of what he called Moulton's "continued transphobic remarks" as he urged Progressives to mount a primary challenge against him in two years.

• LGBTQ+ Protest Planned At U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton's Peabody Town Hall

"You might not have liked my comments," Moulton said. "Trust me, I say things all day long that people don't like. You may not have liked the way I phrased something, or whatever. Take the Salem School Committee, which was so quick to denounce what I said, and they've been in the news a lot and have really helped prove my point about Democrats not being able to have a debate about these issues, which has been helpful to my argument. But it was not helpful to trans kids. ...

"They chose to make a political point by denouncing me."

• U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton Says He Backs 'Reasonable' Transgender Sports Restrictions

Moulton also shot back at assertions that he was more in support of housing for undocumented immigrants than veterans and said that while he is a "huge proponent" of immigration, "I just want people to come here legally."

"When we refuse to engage on these issues they win," he said of Republicans. "They just carry the day on their terms because we will not even debate it.

"You are going to need allies like me in the days ahead," he told Democrats in the room. "Because it's tough and it's going to get tougher. ... We have to get our act together now because it's going to get worse down the road."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)