California Gov. Gavin Newsom is defending both his record on transgender rights and his evolving stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Newsom drew backlash from LGBTQ advocates and progressives after saying it was “unfair” for transgender teenagers to compete against cisgender girls in track and field, during a March podcast interview with the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Since then, critics have accused Newsom — who’s widely seen as harboring presidential ambitions — of throwing the transgender community under the bus for political gain.
While the Democratic Party has no firm stance on transgender participation in sports — often dismissing such debates as distractions while avoiding blanket bans — Newsom isn’t the only Democrat to voice support for limiting transgender athlete eligibility.
Speaking with San Francisco NPR affiliate KQED, Newsom stood by his earlier comments while calling for clearer rules on when and how transgender athletes should be allowed to compete.
The governor said he has struggled to balance differing views on the issue, particularly among the majority of Californians — and Americans overall — who oppose allowing athletes who have undergone male puberty to compete against cisgender women.
“I disagree with all the vitriol,” he said of the harsh tone some anti-transgender advocates take, “but I agree on the issue of fairness, in that respect, that it is unfair in these circumstances, and I haven’t been able to reconcile it.”
Newsom continues to stand by his comments to Kirk about transgender participation in sports.
“There’s some nuance here,” he told KQED. “And so I said what I thought. And you know what? I can’t tell you how many people have a similar point of view, but don’t say it publicly.”
Expanding on those nuances, Newsom said California’s policies on transgender athlete eligibility should differ between competitive sports — where athletes vie for medals, advancement, or scholarships — and recreational sports, which are open to people of all genders and body types, regardless of identity.
“I don’t roll people under the bus, quite the contrary,” the governor said, addressing one of the main criticisms against him. “But when it comes to [competitive] sports, that’s impacting other people’s rights.”
On October 13, Newsom signed a bill creating a state commission to study the inclusion of transgender participants in youth sports. Moderate Democrats have praised the move as a way to improve access for all youth, while Republicans have demanded a full ban on transgender athletes in female-designated events. Some LGBTQ advocates, meanwhile, worry the commission could become a backdoor ban on trans kids.
California’s governing body for high school athletics, the California Interscholastic Federation, follows 2013 legislation allowing students to play on teams that match their gender identity.
This summer, the federation introduced an alternative scoring system for the state track and field meet, allowing transgender competitors to participate and win medals but to “tie” with the next finisher — a move meant to prevent displacing cisgender female athletes from medal spots or regional qualifications.
That so-called “compromise” didn’t satisfy conservatives, including President Donald Trump, whose administration is suing the CIF and the state’s education department. The lawsuit accuses officials of violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes in women’s events and threatens to strip federal funding from California schools.
Since his interview with Kirk, Newsom — who has a transgender godson — has defended his record on LGBTQ rights, noting his long advocacy for same-sex marriage and his record of signing pro-transgender legislation as governor.
“There’s not one person you’ve had on-air who has a better record on trans rights than this person you’re talking to, period full stop,” he told the hosts of KQED’s Political Breakdown. “I have signed more bills protecting trans folks than anyone you’ve ever had on this air. I have appointed more people to positions of power and influence as it relates to trans than any other major elected official, from judicial appointments to significant appointments. I just made a decision in terms of our retirement system just a few weeks ago. It’s a point of pride that I’ve done that.”
Oregon State Rep. Cyrus Javadi announced last Friday that he's switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party, blasting GOP leaders for obstructing legislation that would have benefited his constituents and for pursuing an anti-LGBTQ agenda that "isolates minority communities when politically convenient."
Javadi, who confirmed on Substack he will seek re-election next year as a Democrat, boosts his new party's margin in the Oregon House to 37 seats out of 60.
In his Substack post, Javadi said Republicans blocked his efforts to help his district at every turn, prioritizing opposition to Democratic bills as a strategy rather than judging proposals on their merits.
A federal judge says she plans to issue a preliminary injunction blocking a Trump administration policy that would cut funding for sex education programs, including so-called "gender ideology." The announcement came during a conference call with state attorneys and federal officials.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order barring schools from engaging in what it calls the "social transition" of transgender youth -- meaning any recognition of gender identity as distinct from biological sex, including using a student’s chosen name or pronouns or making accommodations based on gender identity.
Three Florida jurisdictions have rejected proposals to rename streets after conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, whom Republicans have lionized as a martyr since his fatal shooting at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Since Kirk's death, conservatives have blamed left-wing rhetoric for fueling the kind of political violence that claimed his life, and his funeral became a galvanizing moment for conservatives, many of whom vowed to rededicate themselves to right-wing causes.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have cited Kirk's death as justification for targeting those they claim oppose free speech -- a move critics call a pretext for cracking down on left-wing groups and their allies.
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