California Gov. , a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, used the inaugural episode of his new podcast to break from progressives by speaking out against allowing transgender women and girls to compete in female sports.
Newsom made his declaration in an extended conversation with conservative activist , the 31-year-old who built the influential Turning Point USA organization that helped President increase his support last fall among the youngest generation of voters. Kirk, like Trump, has been a vocal opponent of allowing transgender women and girls to participate.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness 鈥� it鈥檚 deeply unfair,鈥� Newsom told Kirk on 鈥淭his is Gavin Newsom.鈥�
鈥淚 am not wrestling with the fairness issue,鈥� continued Newsom, who played varsity baseball as a college student. 鈥淚 totally agree with you. 鈥� I revere sports. So, the issue of fairness is completely legit.鈥�
The governor鈥檚 comments are the latest in Democrats鈥� efforts to reconcile a 2024 election that returned Trump to the White House and gave Republicans control of both chambers of Congress. Among the disagreements since November is how much cultural issues 鈥� as opposed to economic policy and other matters 鈥� explain the party鈥檚 losses.
Overall, polling suggests that allowing transgender female athletes to play on women鈥檚 teams isn鈥檛 broadly popular. Even most Democrats 鈥� around 7 in 10 鈥� oppose allowing transgender female athletes to participate in women鈥檚 sports, according to a January . also found that Democrats were divided on whether transgender people should be able to play on sports teams that match their current gender identity.
Newsom, who has long positioned himself as a social progressive, drew sharp rebukes from LGBTQ+ advocates.
鈥淪ometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile in Courage, sometimes not,鈥� said California Assemblyman Chris Ward and state Sen. Carolina Menjivar, who lead the state鈥檚 LGBTQ+ legislative caucus. 鈥淲e woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks.鈥�
Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, said he was 鈥渄isappointed and angered鈥� by Newsom's statements and that they 鈥渁dded to the heartbreak and fear鈥� the transgender community feels under the Trump administration.
鈥淩ight now, transgender youth, their families, their doctors, and their teachers are facing unprecedented attacks from extremist politicians who want to eviscerate their civil rights and erase them from public life,鈥� Hoang said. 鈥淭hey need leaders who will unequivocally fight for them.鈥�
California law, enacted before Newsom became governor, requires schools in the state to allow transgender athletes to play on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Republican state lawmakers introduced bills in the Legislature this year to ban that practice, but they would be difficult to pass in the Democrat-dominated statehouse. The governor's office declined to comment on the proposals, saying Newsom doesn't typically weigh in on pending legislation.
Beyond questions about athletics, there is less public support for broader restrictions on transgender rights and issues like medical care for transgender people, particularly among Democrats.
According to AP VoteCast, 55% of voters in the 2024 election said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far, while about 2 in 10 said it鈥檚 been about right and a similar share said it hasn鈥檛 gone far enough. Voters were also slightly more likely to oppose than favor laws that ban gender-affirming medical treatment, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors who identify as transgender.
But Republicans have nonetheless sought to capitalize on the cultural touchstone that sports represent in America.
Trump regularly hammered Democratic nominee Vice President , Newsom鈥檚 fellow Californian, for supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Trump promised at his rallies to get 鈥渢ransgender insanity the hell out of our schools鈥� and 鈥渒eep men out of women鈥檚 sports.鈥� His campaign also spent tens of millions of dollars on television and digital ads with the searing summation: 鈥淜amala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.鈥�
鈥淏oy, did I see how you guys were able to weaponize it,鈥� Newsom told Kirk, before yielding to Kirk鈥檚 protest and saying instead that the ads were an effective 鈥渉ighlight鈥� during the campaign.
Since taking office, T from schools that allow transgender athletes to compete in women's' or girls鈥� events. He declared victory on the issue recently when the NCAA, which governs collegiate athletics in the U.S., to restrict women's sporting events to those athletes who were assigned the female gender at birth. Previously, the NCAA had a sport-by-sport policy determined by the respective sports' national or international governing bodies.
Ward and Menjivar, the California lawmakers, said playing on a team consistent with one鈥檚 gender hasn鈥檛 been a problem 鈥渦ntil Donald Trump began obsessing about it.鈥�
Kirk, not Newsom, brought up the overall issue during their hour-plus conversation, which focused in part on how Democrats can rebuild a broader coalition of voters. Kirk pressed Newsom on whether he would speak out in opposition to transgender women athletes in competition.
The governor attempted to mitigate his comments, saying the discussion is about more than competitive advantage.
鈥淭here鈥檚 also a humility and a grace that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with, as well,鈥� Newsom said. 鈥淪o, both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think is inherent in you but not always expressed on the issue and at the same time deal with the unfairness.鈥�
Still, Newsom's approach marks a different political tack than he took on same-sex marriage more than two decades ago. As San Francisco mayor in 2004, Newsom drew national attention for the first time by directing the city clerk to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
The move prompted legal action that led to a 2008 ruling from the California Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage in the nation's largest state. That decision came seven years before the U.S. Supreme Court established same-sex marriage as a national right. 鈥�
Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and AP writers Michael Blood, Tran Nguyen and Sophie Austin contributed reporting.
Bill Barrow, The Associated Press
