Top Moulton aide quits after transgender athlete remarks

A top aide to Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) resigned after comments Moulton made about transgender athletes were panned by state Democrats and LGBTQ groups. 

Matt Chilliak, Moulton’s campaign manager and director of his “Serve America” political committee, departed Moulton’s office late Thursday, The Boston Globe reported. A spokesperson for Moulton’s office did not return a request for comment on Chilliak’s departure. 

Responding to President-elect Trump's win Tuesday, Chilliak wrote on social platform X, "Millions of Americans today showed that they hate immigrants and transgender people more than they fear fascism."

In a New York Times story about Democratic finger-pointing on Thursday, Moulton was quoted as saying his party had leaned too heavily into identity politics, allowing Trump and Republicans to sail to a decisive victory. 

“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.” 

A second House Democrat, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), told The New York Times that transgender girls, whom he called “biological boys,” should not be able to participate in female sports. 

Moulton, first elected to Congress in 2015, is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which promotes LGBTQ equality in the House and has strongly opposed efforts to bar trans athletes from sports teams that best align with their gender identity. Moulton’s 2024 reelection campaign was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. 

Twice, once in 2022 and again in 2023, Moulton cosponsored House Democrats’ Transgender Bill of Rights, which, among other protections, would guarantee trans athletes the right to participate on sports teams that match their gender identity. 

Last spring, Moulton voted against passing a Republican-backed bill to bar transgender student-athletes from sports. The bill, Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-Fla.) Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, sought to change Title IX to recognize sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” 

A spokesperson for Moulton’s office told The Hill Thursday that Moulton’s comments to the Times were made during a wide-ranging conversation, and Moulton does not believe transgender issues are the sole reason for Democrats’ losses. Moulton did not support Steube’s bill, the spokesperson said, because he thought it was too sweeping and too much of a political play by House Republicans. 

Moulton’s remarks on transgender athletes were swiftly rebuked by Massachusetts Democrats. 

Steve Kerrigan, chair of the state Democratic Party, told the Globe that Moulton’s comments “do not represent the broad view of our party.” 

“The Massachusetts Democratic Party is proud to stand with the LGTBQ+ community, especially our transgender friends, neighbors, and loved ones across the Commonwealth,” Kerrigan told the outlet. 

Massachusetts state Democratic Rep. John Moran, who is gay, called Moulton “weak” in a post on X. 

“No, Seth Moulton, the only thing we here in Massachusetts shouldn’t be afraid to say is that you should find another job if you want to use an election loss as an opportunity to pick on our most vulnerable,” Moran wrote. 

Jeremy Comeau, co-chair of the Bay State Stonewall Democrats, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ rights within the state Democratic Party, similarly wrote that Moulton’s assessment of the presidential election results is “100% wrong” and “harmful to the queer community.” 

In a statement responding to Moulton’s remarks, Mass Equality, a statewide LGBTQ rights group, said Moulton’s characterization of transgender girls as “male or formerly male” is “harmful and factually inaccurate.” The group in its statement said it had reached out to Moulton to arrange a meeting and have “a productive conversation.” 

“Our community is deeply hurt by these remarks, which reinforce harmful stereotypes and undermine the dignity of transgender athletes,” said Tanya Neslusan, the organization’s executive director. “We hope that by engaging with the Congressman, we can work toward a more inclusive and informed understanding of transgender issues in sports.”