California Democrats on Thursday distanced themselves from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent comments on transgender athletes, saying they are committed to protecting equality even as their state’s leader sides with a prominent right-wing figure on inclusion in sports.
Newsom said on his new podcast that he “completely agrees” with guest Charlie Kirk that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete against cisgender women and girls as a matter of “fairness.”
California Rep. Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said in response that trans people must be protected.
“Over the past two months, the Trump Administration has been weaponizing the federal government to strip trans people of the freedom to live as their authentic selves,” Takano told NOTUS in a statement. “Especially at this time, it is critical that Democrats remain committed to our values.”
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“That includes standing with the trans community, especially trans children who are being vilified by Trump and his allies as part of their campaign to deny trans people all of their rights,” Takano continued.
Newsom made his comments on trans athletes on the first episode of “This Is Gavin Newsom,” a podcast where he talks with guests, including conservative influencers. The remarks reflect a split among Democrats on how prominently and to what extent they ought to fight Republican efforts to restrict transgender people’s access to care and activities.
Thus far, Democrats in Washington have largely voted against efforts to keep trans student athletes out of teams that reflect their gender identity. In January, only two Democratic House members joined Republicans on a bill that would bar trans athletes from competing in girls’ sports. Earlier this week, Democrats blocked similar legislation in the Senate.
Newsom’s comments to Kirk, a prominent right-wing figure, showed he’s taking a different tack as he seeks a bigger national platform.
“It is an issue of fairness; it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said on the first episode of “This Is Gavin Newsom.” He added that “the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with, as well. Both things I can hold in my hand.”
While President Donald Trump and Republicans have made trans athletes a major talking point and policy effort, the number of trans athletes is small: The NCAA president said he knows of fewer than 10 trans athletes across all of college sports.
California Rep. Scott Peters told NOTUS he wants all kids to get the chance to play sports
“The thing I’m concerned about is, kids should just be able to play sports, young kids, and there’s gotta be ways to figure out how to include everybody,” Peters said.
Rep. Ro Khanna called for “Democrats to stand for the dignity of the trans community, the immigrant community, & the most vulnerable” in a post responding to a California assembly member Alex Lee, who condemned Newsom’s comments.
Other Democrats brushed off questions on Newsom’s remarks. Rep. Robert Garcia said he had not seen the exact quotes.
Some Republicans welcomed Newsom’s comments. California Rep. Kevin Kiley, who ran against Newsom during the 2021 recall effort, said the view the governor shared was “common sense” and challenged him to act.
“So, he’s on our side,” Kiley told NOTUS.
“If Newsom is serious, he should immediately issue an Executive Order to protect women’s sports and ask the Legislature for a bill to codify in law that men shall never compete in women’s sports in California again,” Kiley said on social media. “Otherwise, this is just posturing.”
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Mark Alfred and Samuel Larreal are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.
This NOTUS story was produced in partnership with San José Spotlight and with NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego and Stocktonia.
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