Massachusetts families are getting crushed by home heating bills this winter.
Their 79-year-old senator just held a press conference outside the Capitol in the snow demanding something that has nothing to do with any of it.
Ed Markey didn't go to Washington to fight for your heating bill – he went to demand that children have the legal right to receive transgender surgeries, and what he said on camera is something Massachusetts voters need to see before September.
Markey's Priority: A Separate Bill of Rights for Trans Minors
On February 11th, Markey stood outside the U.S. Capitol alongside Rep. Pramila Jayapal and a crowd of roughly 30 activists to announce his "Transgender Bill of Rights."
The bill isn't about jobs. It's not about energy costs. It's not about the fentanyl pouring across what used to be a border.
It explicitly calls for children to have access to gender surgeries and cross-sex hormones – and demands that federal law be rewritten to make all of it a protected right.
Markey said on camera that children should be allowed to have "elective gender surgeries" and receive documents stating they are a different gender than their biology.
This is what he chose to prioritize.
Trump and RFK Jr. Already Shut This Down
While Markey was standing in the snow demanding surgery rights for minors, the Trump administration was doing the opposite.
In December, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a sweeping series of actions to end what he called "sex-rejecting procedures" on children – and he called it exactly what it is.
"This is not medicine," Kennedy said. "It is malpractice."
The proposed HHS rules would pull Medicare and Medicaid funding from any hospital that performs these procedures on minors – which effectively means nearly every hospital in America stops doing them.
Hospitals across the country got the message. Many have already stopped performing these procedures on minors in anticipation of the rules taking effect.
The American people delivered that verdict at the ballot box in November 2024. Markey apparently didn't get the memo.
The Real Reason Markey Is Doing This
Here's what Massachusetts voters should understand about why their senator is pushing this bill right now.
Markey turns 80 this year. He's running for a third full Senate term. And he's facing a primary challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton, who has made Markey's age the centerpiece of his campaign.
Markey needs his far-left base fired up and donating. Trans activists are among the most energized donors in the Democrat coalition.
His own Senate page admits the bill has no path to passing in the current Congress. Markey told reporters he knows Republicans won't vote for it. He even said so directly: the bill is about "showing the community they have allies," not actually becoming law.
So he's standing in a snowstorm outside the Capitol – while Massachusetts families shiver through another expensive New England winter – performing for donors.
That's not leadership. That's a reelection stunt.
What Massachusetts Actually Needs
Massachusetts families are watching their heating costs climb while their senator fights for a bill he admits won't pass.
Trump's team is doing the work. The Protect Children's Innocence Act – which would make it a crime to perform these procedures on minors – passed the House in December.
Markey voted against every piece of it.
He doesn't represent Massachusetts families. He represents the activist donors who fund his campaign – and now every voter in the state knows exactly where his priorities are.
Sources:
- Mike LaChance, "Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts Pushes Separate 'Trans Bill of Rights' and Wants Minors to Have Access to 'Gender Affirming Care,'" The Gateway Pundit, February 19, 2026.
- U.S. Senator Ed Markey Press Release, "As Trump Administration Continues Cruel Attacks on Transgender Community, Markey and Jayapal Reintroduce Transgender Bill of Rights," Markey.Senate.gov, February 11, 2026.
- HHS Press Release, "HHS Acts to Bar Hospitals from Performing Sex-Rejecting Procedures on Children," HHS.gov, December 18, 2025.
- Seth Moulton Senate Campaign Launch, GBH News, October 15, 2025.
- Cook Political Report, "Massachusetts' Markey Faces Generational Primary Test," December 17, 2025.
