Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden’s new rhetoric opposing efforts in his home state pushing extreme gender ideology notably departs from his left-wing voting record.
Golden, a vulnerable Democratic incumbent, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that he opposes a legislative effort from Maine State Democratic lawmakers to provide free menstrual products in boys’ middle school and high school bathrooms among the state’s public schools. He also told the DCNF that boys should not compete in girls’ sports despite previously voting against legislation seeking to bar transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports as recently as February.
“Although some in the news business fail to understand the difference between Capitol Hill and Augusta (Maine’s State Capital), Congressman Golden is of the opinion that boys shouldn’t compete in girls’ sports, menstrual products shouldn’t be in boys’ bathrooms, and members of Congress shouldn’t stick their noses into state legislative debates,” a spokesperson for Golden told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Golden’s answer came in response to a DCNF inquiry about whether the Congressman supported a bill from Democratic Maine state lawmakers to require free menstrual products in all school bathrooms from grades 6 to 12, impacting boys as young as 11 years-old.
A similar bill that failed to advance out of Maine’s state legislature during the previous session would have cost Maine taxpayers $273,000 annually to fund the free tampon measure.
Democratic lawmakers’ support for menstrual products in boys’ bathrooms became an issue during the 2024 presidential campaign when Republicans criticized Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for signing a bill in 2023 to require tampons be provided in school bathrooms to students in grades four through 12 regardless of biological sex.
Though Golden said he did not support providing tampons in boys’ bathrooms, the Maine Democrat previously voted for legislation that would have opened the door to policies funding menstrual products in all school bathrooms regardless of biological sex.
The Maine Democrat has been largely silent on his state’s leftward drift on transgender issues despite President Donald Trump’s executive orders on protecting women’s sports and rolling back the federal government’s recognition of gender identity. Maine Democratic Gov, Janet Mills notably caved to pressure from the Trump administration to comply with Title IX and bar transgender athletes from women’s sports or lose federal funding following a heated exchange at the White House in February.
Golden voted in support of the Equality Act in 2019 and 2021 when Democrats controlled the House and cosponsored the left-wing bill during the 118th Congress after it was reintroduced in June 2023. The Equality Act would have expanded civil rights protections to include nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation, giving biological males access to female-only spaces such as locker rooms and bathrooms.
The vulnerable congressman has been a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus (CEC) since his election to Congress in 2019. Though the CEC has not released its policy priorities for the 119th Congress thus far, the caucus has a long record of pushing far-left gender ideology and has fiercely criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to uphold women’s Title IX rights and protect their access to female-only spaces. He notably rejoined the equality caucus for the 119th Congress that began in January, according to a CEC press release.
The Maine Democrat told the DCNF that biological males should not participate in girls sports despite previously voting twice against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
The bill would have interpreted Title IX to impose a categorical ban on biological males from competing in girls and women’s sports at scholastic events and would have withheld federal funds from schools that refuse to comply.
Golden also appears to have walked back a previous statement advocating for exceptions to allow transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports.
“It would also be wrong to exclude trans kids from sports entirely,” Golden wrote in a Substack blog post describing his views on transgender athletes and Title IX protections in women’s sports Feb. 25. “But the current system of letting kids change teams based simply on gender self-identification sets the bar too low to justify infringing on girls’ Title IX rights. A better balance is needed.”
Golden did not add any nuance to his statement to the DCNF attempting to carve out exceptions to a categorical ban on biological males’ participation in girls and women’s sports.
“[B]oys should not compete in girls’ sports,” Golden’s statement said in part.
Golden’s voting history to oppose legislation seeking to protect women’s sports is out of step with a majority of Americans’ beliefs on transgender issues.
Approximately 79% of Americans oppose biological males competing in women’s sports, according to a New York Times-Ipsos survey conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 10.
Nearly 70% of Democrats or participants who “lean Democrat” told the Times they opposed transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
“Parents overwhelmingly agree that forcing gender ideology on kids is unacceptable and they’re fed up with activists who pretend biology isn’t real,” Alleigh Marré, executive director of American Parents Coalition, told the DCNF. “From boys in girls’ sports and locker rooms to tampons in boys’ bathrooms — families have had enough.”
“Out of touch doesn’t begin to describe their [Maine Democratic lawmakers’] continued actions,” Marré continued. “It is time for our leaders to listen to parents and families.”
House Republicans’ campaign arm hit Golden for appearing to moderate his views on transgender policies despite his left-wing voting record opposing efforts to protect women’s sports.
“Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden has voted time and again to push radical gender ideology on kids,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told the DCNF. “Now, he’s shamelessly trying to change his tune to score political points. If he really cared about Maine’s kids and keeping far-left policies out of their bathrooms, he’d be fighting like hell to reverse his state’s policy allowing men in girls’ sports.”
Golden is one of 13 House Democrats representing districts Trump won in November. The president beat former Vice President Kamala Harris by roughly nine points in Golden’s district while he bested his Republican challenger by less than a percentage point. The president also won Golden’s district in 2016 and 2020.
The NRCC listed Goldman as part of its 26-member Democratic incumbent target list the House GOP’s campaign arm is looking to defeat during the midterms.
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