A growing number of Democratic candidates in competitive races are adjusting how they talk about transgender issues, especially girls’ sports and medical procedures for minors. Republicans say the shift is about winning votes, not changing convictions.

The debate shows how quickly political messaging can change when an election is near. For voters who care about protecting women and children, the question is whether the changes in tone reflect real changes in belief.

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From Fox News:

South Carolina Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Annie Andrews appears to be distancing herself from her past opposition to restricting transgender athletes in girls’ sports, telling Fox News Digital she opposes biological males competing in women’s sports and gender transition surgeries for minors.

More than three-quarters (76%) of those questioned in a Fox News national poll conducted last month backed banning biological men from competing in women’s sports, with one in five opposed. The survey indicated bipartisan support, with 90% of Republicans, 77% of independents and 61% of Democrats backing the ban.

Veteran Democratic strategist Maria Cardona told Fox News that “Democrats are being smart on this issue in terms of defining where they are on it so their opponents can’t define them and then pivoting back to the issues that they know that voters actually care about.”

Andrews’ Republican opponent, Sen. Darline Graham, accuses her of trying to hide a record of supporting transgender athletes in girls’ sports. Republicans point to Andrews’ opposition to South Carolina’s 2022 law restricting girls’ sports teams to female athletes. She called that law harmful at the time. Andrews now says she opposes both policies and repeats the message in a new campaign ad.

Andrews is not alone. Texas state Rep. James Talarico said he opposes transgender athletes in girls’ sports when safety or fairness is at stake. Iowa Democratic nominee Josh Turek has spoken out against both policies after Republican criticism. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio is running ads saying boys should not play girls’ sports. The National Republican Congressional Committee notes that she voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2023 and again in 2025. Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina was one of three House Democrats to back a GOP bill aimed at gender-affirming care for minors. Earlier, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Seth Moulton had also questioned the party’s approach, and Moulton later lost his Massachusetts Senate primary to Sen. Ed Markey. Markey accused him of abandoning transgender children.

Republican strategist Colin Reed says voters should be skeptical of position changes made weeks before an election. Republicans spent more than $200 million on ads over this issue in 2024. At the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, President Donald Trump called it one of the party’s most effective campaign tools.

Scripture offers a clear starting point. Genesis 1:27 says God created human beings male and female, and Psalm 139:14 affirms that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made. Jesus also warned in Matthew 18:6 against harming children. Fairness for girls and protection for minors are moral questions, not only political ones. Believers can also hold candidates to Christ’s standard of honest speech, which is to let our yes be yes (Matthew 5:37). Matthew 7:16 says we will know people by their fruit, so voters should look at a candidate’s record as well as their latest ad. Christians are also called to speak the truth with compassion toward every person, including those who struggle with gender identity.

Let’s pray for voters to discern truth from campaign talk and to vote with wisdom. Let’s pray for candidates in both parties to speak honestly and act with integrity. Let’s pray for girls and young women who deserve fair, safe competition, and for children who need protection and loving care. Let’s pray for families and for compassion toward those who are hurting or confused.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: uschools from Getty Images Signature via Canva).