The comments sparked outrage from fellow Democrats in Massachusetts and accusations from the state’s LGBTQ+ community. On Friday, Moulton’s top campaign aide resigned but declined to say why.

In Moulton’s hometown of Salem, Mayor Dominick Pangallo and the School Committee issued a joint email to the city’s residents, saying Moulton’s comments “do not reflect our values.”

“We want to reassure our LGBTQ+ students that as district leaders, we will always celebrate your identities, support your dreams and aspirations, and applaud your accomplishments,” the email said.

Matt Chilliak, Moulton’s campaign manager and director of the “Serve America” ​​political committee, confirmed to the Globe that he was resigning but did not address whether it was related to the comments and referred further questions to Moulton’s office.

Who is Moulton? briefly sought the party’s presidential nomination in 2020 He said in a statement on Friday evening: While he supports the rights of transgender people, “it is my belief” that transgender participation in competitive women’s sports should be limited.

“These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we may even disagree on them. “But there are many people shouting from far-left corners of social media who believe I fail the Democratic Party’s unspoken purity test,” she said. “We didn’t lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost in part because we shamed and belittled the ideas that too many voters held, and that needs to stop.” “It is necessary.”

Moulton’s comments come as Democrats roll around The country is trying to understand where their candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the party went wrong this election season.

Democrats took turns pointing fingers after Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday. Harris’ allies blamed President Biden Because he stayed in the race for so long before leaving the race, he talked about misinformationand some, like Moulton, have blamed the emphasis on identity politics at the expense of the economy and immigration, which working-class voters often call their biggest concerns.

Transgender rights, including whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, have long been a hot topic. Locally, a new state law in New Hampshire bars transgender girls girls’ sports in middle and high schools Lawsuit from the family of a transgender girl.

In the final days of the campaign, Republicans spent huge amounts of money on ads attacking transgender rights and Harris’ previous statements supporting gender-affirming care for prison inmates.

The Massachusetts Democratic Party said Moulton’s comments “do not represent the broad view of our party.” Chairman Steve Kerrigan said the party was “proud to stand with the LGTBQ+ community, particularly our trans friends, neighbors and loved ones across the Commonwealth”.

But the state Republican Party applauded Moulton on Friday.

“The backlash against Congressman Moulton for making this statement is one of the reasons Democrats have suffered significant losses across the country this election cycle,” said Party Chair Amy Carnevale. “Republicans agree that it is entirely possible to respect gender preferences, but also recognize that physical differences between men and women create significant risks in sports.”

Massachusetts state Rep. Manny Cruz, a Salem Democrat and member of the city’s School Committee, said he agrees Democrats need to do some soul searching but said they “shouldn’t look anywhere but themselves.”

“It’s very unreasonable to hear my congressman talk about identity politics as the reason we lost the election,” he said. “He has two ears and one mouth, and he has to use them to that extent.”

Although Moulton was not the only Democrat to call for a reckoning after election losses, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucused with Democrats, called out identity politics during the election campaign. said Wednesday that the party had “abandoned working-class people” – some felt Moulton’s comments were malicious and unnecessary.

The comments sparked harsh reactions from the LGTBQ+ community in Massachusetts. outspoken ones Who in the last days after Trump He made attacking trans Americans a centerpiece of his campaignHe won a second term in the White House on Tuesday.

LGTBQ advocacy group Mass Equality said Moulton’s remarks were “both harmful and factually incorrect.”

“Our community is deeply hurt by these statements that reinforce harmful stereotypes and undermine the dignity of transgender athletes,” said Tanya Neslusan, executive director of Mass Equality.

State Rep. John Moran, an openly gay Democrat from the South Side. Published on X Friday, He calls Moulton “weak.” About a dozen people showed up at Moulton’s district office in Salem on Friday afternoon to protest his remarks, but the office was closed for Monday’s Veterans Day holiday.

Aria Stewart, who identifies as a transgender woman, organized the last-minute protest “to send a message to Moulton that he is alienating people” and accused Moulton of using a “well-known dog whistle” in his remarks about trans men playing women’s sports. .

Salem city councilman Kyle Davis, who attended the protest, also questioned the timing of the statements, which came just days after the election.

“Given all the things Trump has said about transgender people, this is a time when the transgender community is feeling a lot of fear,” he said.

Globe staff member Billy Baker contributed to this report.

Samantha J. Gross can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @samanthajgross.