Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is facing a wave of backlash after remarks he made during a podcast interview about how he would respond if his son expressed a desire to transition genders as a minor.
The comments came during an appearance on Patrick Bet-David’s “PBD Podcast,” where Moore was asked directly how he would react if one of his sons approached him wanting to transition.
“If this is a journey that he wants to go down, um I want him to always be comfortable in his own skin,” Moore responded, adding that his children would always have his “undying love.”
Bet-David then pressed the question further, asking whether Moore would still support such a decision if his son were underage. Moore said he would remain supportive while also wanting to stay actively involved in the process.
“I want him to feel safe in his own skin, safe in his own decision-making, but also know that, at 14 years old, I want to be involved inside of that process as well,” Moore said. “I’m not going to condemn him nor castigate him, I’m not going to kick him out of the house. I’m not going to do anything that’s going to hurt him, but I just want to make sure that I’m involved.”
Moore, however, also indicated there were limits to what he would support. During the discussion, he said allowing minors to go on puberty blockers would be “deeply unfair,” signaling opposition to at least some medical interventions for children experiencing gender dysphoria.
Even with that clarification, the comments quickly ignited criticism across conservative social media.
RNC Research posted video of the exchange on X with the caption: “Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he would let his son go through gender mutilation as a minor if he wanted to.”
Maryland Freedom Caucus vice chair Kathy Szeliga blasted Moore’s remarks, writing, “That’s not empathy. That’s insanity. As a parent, you are called to guide your children toward the right decisions, not to affirm life-altering destructive ones.”
OutKick founder Clay Travis accused Moore of political posturing, posting: “There is a 0% chance he believes this. But this is how insane the Democrat party is.”
Other critics questioned whether minors are capable of making permanent medical decisions regarding gender identity, particularly before reaching adulthood.
The controversy comes as the Trump administration continues aggressively rolling back federal support for gender-transition procedures involving minors.
White House spokesperson Allison Schuster told Fox News Digital that the administration believes such treatments were heavily promoted during the Biden years based on “ideologically-driven and financially-motivated ‘science.’”
“President Trump is returning Gold Standard Science to the center of public health policy by ending the practice of pushing irreversible surgeries and chemical treatments onto children and minors,” Schuster said.
Moore has frequently positioned Maryland as one of the country’s strongest defenders of transgender rights and gender-transition access. Since taking office, he has signed legislation designed to protect providers and expand legal protections related to transgender care.
