OPINION: It's Biology, Stupid

Massachusetts Democrats In Favor of Biological Reality Take the Mic

By Beth Kurth

Acting State Coordinator, MA

Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender

It turns out that words speak louder than silence. And mainstream liberal Democrats are stepping up to the microphone to restore the preeminence of biological reality over gender ideology within our party. D-NH State Representative Jonah Wheeler’s video – “gender ideology is an illiberal, backward way of thinking” – has been viewed more than 2 million times and his candidacy for re-election has drawn only a single write-in primary opponent. D-OH gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s statement - “I do not support boys playing in girls’ sports” has neutered the transgender talking point as an issue for her opponent.

Here in Massachusetts, the conventional wisdom has it that Ed Markey handily beat his primary challenger Seth Moulton due in no small part to Senator Markey’s passionate stand for transgenderism. However, there’s another point of view – that Congressman Moulton’s loss was due in large part to his capitulation to the “progressive” left wing of the party after having first acknowledged the unfairness of allowing boys to join girls’ sports teams.

Massachusetts voter registrations offer an interesting tell. While total registrations are up 8 percent in 2026 over 2020, 5.2 million over 4.8 million, the number of voters who identify as Democrats has declined in absolute value – 1.3 million today down from 1.5 million in 2020 – and therefore as an even greater percentage of registrations – 24% today down from 32%. This is a 25% decline in voters choosing to align as Democrats. Read that again, here in cobalt blue Massachusetts, there has been a 25% decline in the percentage of voters choosing to self-identify as Democrats. It should be noted that Rs represent 8% of the total, down from 10% in 2020. Thus the real elephants in the room are the unenrolled voters – today a full two-thirds of Massachusetts voters, 67%, are unaligned. Is this solely because the Democratic Party has lost its mind on this/they/them? Probably not. But clearly there are dissenting viewpoints on party-line issues.

The majority of Democrats, (coincidentally?) also 67%, support the sex-based rights of women and girls to fair competition, safe play and the privacy and dignity afforded by single-sex spaces. The Democratic Party’s embrace and promotion of gender ideology is increasingly recognized as an out-of-touch belief system wrongly promoted as a social justice cause. Rather than dismissing the issue as a “cultural distraction,” Democratic leaders have an opportunity to align with their voters and acknowledge that the question of whether boys should play in girls’ sports, and if men belong in women’s spaces, is a policy decision with real-world consequences.

Today, liberal Democrats are using our voices to push back against the authoritarian left-wing of our party. In November, we look forward to using our votes. Massachusetts has always been a revolutionary state and 250 years on we are ready to continue that tradition.

About Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender

Founded by long-time liberal Democrats, DIAG works to expose the ideologically driven medical scandal of the “gender” industry and the sexism, homophobia, and medical harms of sex-denialism. Through education, activism, and advocacy, DIAG is building a movement of democratic voters (and former democratic voters) who want to see our party return to core liberal values of promoting evidence-based medical care; protecting vulnerable children and adults from predatory medical harm; upholding the rights of women and girls; and preserving freedom of speech. Visit www.di-ag.org for more information.