Adam Hamilton says there are 2 genders, opposes males in girls’ sports
Pastor Adam Hamilton, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Kansas, said during Wednesday's debate with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall that he opposes allowing males to compete in girls' sports, and also acknowledged there are only two genders.
The megachurch pastor debated the incumbent Marshall on Wednesday evening at an event moderated by John Holt of Kansas City-based Fox 4 News. When the discussion turned to Title IX civil rights law and women's sports, Holt asked Hamilton and Marshall how many genders exist.
Hamilton, who pastors Resurrection Church, a multisite United Methodist congregation based in Leawood, Kansas, responded that he believes "there are two genders, male and female."
Marshall, an OB-GYN, agreed, noting that as a doctor, he had delivered plenty of boys and girls.
Asked whether boys who identify as female should be allowed to compete in girls' sports, Hamilton reaffirmed his past opposition.
"I have a 12-year-old granddaughter," Hamilton responded. "I don't want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her. That's not a fair fight."
While Marshall has championed federal legislation on the issue, Hamilton said "local organizations should be determining that issue," not the federal government.
Marshall warned that Senate Democrats led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are trying to push "transgender ideology," and he said Hamilton would join them if elected.
"He's going to say he's going to vote against these things, but every Democrat stands up and when Schumer tells them to jump, they say 'how high?'" Marshall said. "So, why is he going to be any different once he gets to Washington? He can tell us one thing, but let's [see] what his actions would be like."
Hamilton responded that he does not support making Schumer majority leader if Democrats take the Senate, and he said Marshall was turning the matter into a "big issue."
"I was taught, and I preached for years, 'love your neighbor as you love yourself,'" Hamilton replied. "That looks like caring for people who are picked on and bullied."
He added, "I feel like my opponent, he's taken an issue, picking on people, bullying people. I don't think that's OK. That's not who we are as Kansans."
Hamilton has joined other high-profile Democratic candidates that have moderated their position in the lead-up to the 2026 midterms. In September, Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico expressed an openness to banning sex-change procedures for minors and restricting trans-identifying male athletes from competing in women’s sports in some cases. He also walked back previous comments that there are more than two sexes.
In South Carolina, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, pediatrician Annie Andrews, has run TV ads stating that she opposes sex-change surgeries for minors and allowing males to compete in women's sports.
In the Kansas debate, other topics included aid for farmers, whether the Trump administration's tariffs are helping or harming Kansas businesses and ways to lower gas prices.
At one point, Hamilton was asked about his claim to be a moderate Democrat. He said that while he has openly supported some progressive causes, he opposes certain progressive policies. He cited his support for "strong and secure borders" as an example.
Marshall objected to that characterization. Although he was not given time to rebut, he made a brief comment before the debate moved on.
"Was he 'leading from the middle' when one out of four churches left his denomination?" Marshall asked. He was alluding to the recent schism in the United Methodist Church, in which Hamilton sided with progressives as more than 7,600 mostly conservative congregations disaffiliated.
An author and pastor at Resurrection Church, Hamilton announced his campaign at a press conference in April. He said he would run as a Democrat "dedicated to leading from the center."
In May, Hamilton's campaign released his positions on several hot-button issues. He is pro-choice on abortion and anti-tariffs, supports a federal minimum wage increase and backs either term limits or age limits for public office.
