TX Dem Colin Allred Responds To Anti-Trans Ads With Dogwhistle: "I Do Not Support Boys In Girls Sports"

The ad responds to anti-trans attack ads levied by Ted Cruz against his candidacy.

Anti-trans attack ads have spread across the United States in the last month, as Republicans and Republican-aligned PACs spend tens of millions of dollars targeting Democrats for their support of trans people. These ads have historically failed to benefit Republican contenders, with the vast majority losing their elections after focusing heavily on this issue. As a result, Democrats have largely ignored the ads, continuing to campaign on their key issues. However, today, the Democratic contender challenging Texas Republican Ted Cruz, Colin Allred, became the first major Democratic candidate in this election cycle to seemingly capitulate to Republican messaging, stating in a new Texas ad that he “does not support boys in girls' sports,” a common Republican anti-trans dogwhistle.

The new ad released today by Colin Allred states, “I’m a dad. I’m also a Christian. My faith has taught me that all kids are god’s kids. So let me be clear. I don’t want boys playing girls sports, or any of this ridiculous stuff that Ted Cruz is saying.”

You can view Allred’s ad here:

The ad comes in response to a $7 million ad spend in Texas by Ted Cruz’s campaign alone. One of the most recent attack ads targeting Colin Allred, which has gained national attention, claims Allred supports “boys playing in girls' sports” and laments that “somehow it has become controversial to say boys and girls are different.” It is clear that the ad is referring to transgender people, as it targets Allred’s stance on a national anti-trans sports bill, trans bathroom usage, and features images of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

You can see one ad from the Cruz campaign that preceded Allred’s ad here:

Allred’s response to the ad campaign targeting him is significant. He is the first prominent Democratic candidate running for Congress to seemingly acquiesce to anti-transgender advertising. Notably, this response did not come in the form of an offhand remark during an interview; instead, it was presented as a carefully crafted ad with a messaging strategy that he undeniably approved of.

Some defended Allred’s messaging, suggesting he may be trying to subtly convey that he doesn’t support boys in girls' sports because he doesn’t view trans girls as boys. While this interpretation is possible, the statement is still likely to be heard as an anti-trans dogwhistle in Texas, where nearly every anti-trans ad has framed transgender girls as “boys.” Since Allred had full control over the messaging in the ad, he could have avoided the dogwhistle by being clearer about his views and support for transgender youth.

His decision to include such a dogwhistle is likely ill-advised. A recent Gallup poll shows he is unlikely to gain much support by doing so; among Republicans and Independents who lean Republican, transgender issues rank near the bottom of the list, placing close to dead last among 22 issues they care about. For Democratic voters and Independents who lean Democratic, however, transgender issues rank much higher, even above concerns like immigration, taxes, and trade.

Recently, the rare instances of anti-transgender Democrats have faced significant blowback for their positions. In Texas, for example, Shawn Thierry, who voted in favor of a gender-affirming care ban, lost her primary to a queer challenger. In Kansas, Democratic representative Marvin Robinson, who supported a trans sports bill despite fierce opposition from Kansas Democrats, similarly lost his primary. Nationally, Democrats have largely avoided breaking ranks on anti-trans issues such as sports, bathroom usage, and healthcare for transgender youth.

Although Republicans are spending tens of millions of dollars nationally on the issue, recent elections have shown transgender issues to be a paper tiger—an area where Republicans are willing to pour ad dollars with little to show in terms of positive results. Elections where transgender issues and anti-trans ads played a prominent role include Michigan’s 2022 elections, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, legislative races in Pennsylvania and Virginia, Beshear’s reelection in Kentucky, and the recent massive losses of Moms for Liberty candidates across the United States.

Republican Strategist Terry Schilling, who played a large role in many of those failed campaigns, reacted to Allred’s response, stating: “Beautiful Ted gets a major W here — first candidate to go on offense enough to get his opponent to directly address the attack. W.”

Democrats have recently faced mounting pressure to abandon support for transgender people, with signs of hesitation or weakness emerging. Earlier this year, the Biden administration, in response to a New York Times story, issued a message against surgeries for trans teenagers. This came from the same administration that previously released Title IX guidance criticized by over a dozen transgender legislators for enabling discrimination against transgender youth. That guidance was later cited by the 9th Circuit Court to justify transgender swim bans.

Similarly, several Democratic senators recently voted in favor of an NDAA bill that would have banned trans servicemembers from accessing gender-affirming surgery and barred the children of servicemembers from receiving coverage for gender-affirming care. Although that bill was stalled and replaced by a continuing budget resolution, Republicans continue to push for anti-trans bans on sports, healthcare, and more, making them key points in budget negotiations. These bans have only been narrowly avoided by the slim Democratic majority, with Senator Manchin proving to be an unreliable vote. If Allred capitulates, either overtly or subtly, on transgender sports, he may face increasing pressure in future budget battles to approve similar restrictions.

That said, these weak points have been relatively minor. Democrats successfully defeated 50 anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ budget amendments during the last government shutdown fight, and most continue to support legislation like the Equality Act. So far, no anti-trans amendment has made it into a budget bill, despite intense efforts by Republicans and conservative organizations. However, Colin Allred’s ad could be seen as a troubling signal that the danger of capitulation is always present. Advocates for transgender rights will likely need to continue applying pressure on Democratic candidates to uphold their value as human beings and their importance as voting constituents.

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We have reached out to Colin Allred’s press team for clarification. His team provided me with this response when asked if Allred still supports the Equality Act and if he supports transgender athletes competing as their gender identity:

“To your question on the Equality Act. None of Congressman Allred’s positions have changed. As Congressman Allred has said, he believes all children are God’s children and is proud of his support for the LGBTQ+ community. It is shameful that Ted Cruz has made this an issue in an effort to sew division and spread lies, spending over $12 million on disgusting attacks.”

Noticing the lack of an answer on transgender athletics, I asked the campaign team point blank if he considers transgender girls to be “boys,” addressing a common defense of the ad. His team provided me with a video link, but unfortunately no answer to the question:

“I actually think it is best if you hear from Congressman Allred directly, when he responded to attacks in a recent interview with local Spectrum TV News in Texas where he is asked about this issue (linked here at minute 6:47).”