Massachusetts
Massachusetts lawmaker declares 'I support trans kids' when pressed on girls' sports
Asked three times whether girls' sports should be reserved for biological females, Rep. Dru Tarr answered: "I support trans kids. End of line."
Asked three times whether girls' sports should be reserved for biological females, Massachusetts state Rep. Andrew "Dru" Tarr gave a short answer at a candidate forum last week: "So I support trans kids. End of line."
The Gloucester Democrat, who won a special election in March and now faces voters again on Nov. 3, added "That's it" before moving to an unrelated question about a legislative audit. He did not say yes or no.
The exchange came near the end of the Oct. 13 forum hosted by the Cape Ann Political Action Committee. Tarr shared the stage with Republican Christina Delisio of Manchester-by-the-Sea and unenrolled candidate Gil Frieden of Essex. The 5th Essex District covers Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex.
How the exchange unfolded
The topic first came up as the forum's eighth prepared question, which asked each candidate about transgender athletes in girls' sports and access to girls' locker rooms. Organizers had sent the questions to all three candidates in advance.
Tarr answered first. He called it "primarily a culture war question" affecting a very small share of the population and said it distracted from issues like housing affordability and education. He said there were no substantiated cases of a transgender person assaulting someone in a locker room or bathroom, and argued the state should focus instead on reforming and funding the Department of Children and Families.
Delisio spoke next and ended her answer with a direct challenge: "Do you support reserving girls' sports for biological females? Yes or no?" Frieden answered "No" from the stage. Tarr did not respond.
During audience questions, Delisio raised it again, saying she still had no answer from Tarr. The moderator, Howard Frisch, moved to the next question, and Frieden remarked that Tarr "doesn't have to" answer. Frisch said Tarr's earlier remarks had been his response.
An audience member then asked Tarr directly to answer Delisio's question. That is when he said he supports trans kids, "end of line," before turning to the audit.
Where Delisio and Frieden stand
Delisio, an attorney and former Manchester Planning Board member, said girls' sports should be reserved for biological females. She cited her own rowing at UMass Lowell and her daughter's high school and college athletics, and said Title IX opened those doors. She said she supports co-ed options and private changing areas for any student who wants them, adding that "protecting girls is a responsibility, not an intolerance."
Frieden, a certified financial planner running as an independent, opposed reserving girls' sports for biological females. He cited former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker telling a U.S. Senate committee that fewer than 10 of roughly 500,000 college athletes were transgender. He said private changing spaces "wouldn't be the worst solution" but called the issue a problem "that isn't happening." He closed by addressing transgender youth directly, telling them they are loved and belong on Cape Ann.
Why the question is live in Massachusetts
The issue now sits with the Legislature. On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia v. B.P.J. that states may restrict transgender girls and women from competing in female sports. Frieden referred to the ruling at the forum, saying the decision will "come down to the legislature."
Massachusetts law has barred discrimination based on gender identity since 2012. After the ruling, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said state law continues to protect transgender student athletes who play according to their gender identity.
The U.S. Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association in February 2025 over its policy. In April 2025, the House passed language barring students from teams of the opposite sex, without a recorded vote, but delayed it pending a state study.
The race
Tarr worked for nearly a decade as an aide to the late Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who died in November 2025. He won the March 31 special election to finish her term with 64% of the vote against the same two opponents. Frieden carried Essex by 30 votes.
The same audience member who pressed Tarr on sports also asked about the voter-approved audit of the Legislature. Tarr said he favors an audit "done constitutionally" and later said he voted against the 2024 audit ballot question because he considered it unconstitutional. Delisio and Frieden both said the Legislature should carry out the audit 72% of voters approved.
The forum also covered taxes, energy policy, immigration enforcement and the state's 2024 parentage law. The general election is Nov. 3.
The Gloucester Democrat, who won a special election in March and now faces voters again on Nov. 3, added "That's it" before moving to an unrelated question about a legislative audit. He did not say yes or no.
The exchange came near the end of the Oct. 13 forum hosted by the Cape Ann Political Action Committee. Tarr shared the stage with Republican Christina Delisio of Manchester-by-the-Sea and unenrolled candidate Gil Frieden of Essex. The 5th Essex District covers Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex.
How the exchange unfolded
The topic first came up as the forum's eighth prepared question, which asked each candidate about transgender athletes in girls' sports and access to girls' locker rooms. Organizers had sent the questions to all three candidates in advance.
Tarr answered first. He called it "primarily a culture war question" affecting a very small share of the population and said it distracted from issues like housing affordability and education. He said there were no substantiated cases of a transgender person assaulting someone in a locker room or bathroom, and argued the state should focus instead on reforming and funding the Department of Children and Families.
Delisio spoke next and ended her answer with a direct challenge: "Do you support reserving girls' sports for biological females? Yes or no?" Frieden answered "No" from the stage. Tarr did not respond.
During audience questions, Delisio raised it again, saying she still had no answer from Tarr. The moderator, Howard Frisch, moved to the next question, and Frieden remarked that Tarr "doesn't have to" answer. Frisch said Tarr's earlier remarks had been his response.
An audience member then asked Tarr directly to answer Delisio's question. That is when he said he supports trans kids, "end of line," before turning to the audit.
Where Delisio and Frieden stand
Delisio, an attorney and former Manchester Planning Board member, said girls' sports should be reserved for biological females. She cited her own rowing at UMass Lowell and her daughter's high school and college athletics, and said Title IX opened those doors. She said she supports co-ed options and private changing areas for any student who wants them, adding that "protecting girls is a responsibility, not an intolerance."
Frieden, a certified financial planner running as an independent, opposed reserving girls' sports for biological females. He cited former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker telling a U.S. Senate committee that fewer than 10 of roughly 500,000 college athletes were transgender. He said private changing spaces "wouldn't be the worst solution" but called the issue a problem "that isn't happening." He closed by addressing transgender youth directly, telling them they are loved and belong on Cape Ann.
Why the question is live in Massachusetts
The issue now sits with the Legislature. On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia v. B.P.J. that states may restrict transgender girls and women from competing in female sports. Frieden referred to the ruling at the forum, saying the decision will "come down to the legislature."
Massachusetts law has barred discrimination based on gender identity since 2012. After the ruling, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said state law continues to protect transgender student athletes who play according to their gender identity.
The U.S. Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association in February 2025 over its policy. In April 2025, the House passed language barring students from teams of the opposite sex, without a recorded vote, but delayed it pending a state study.
The race
Tarr worked for nearly a decade as an aide to the late Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who died in November 2025. He won the March 31 special election to finish her term with 64% of the vote against the same two opponents. Frieden carried Essex by 30 votes.
The same audience member who pressed Tarr on sports also asked about the voter-approved audit of the Legislature. Tarr said he favors an audit "done constitutionally" and later said he voted against the 2024 audit ballot question because he considered it unconstitutional. Delisio and Frieden both said the Legislature should carry out the audit 72% of voters approved.
The forum also covered taxes, energy policy, immigration enforcement and the state's 2024 parentage law. The general election is Nov. 3.