California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that allowing male-born athletes in female sports is “deeply unfair,” breaking ranks with his fellow Democrats on an issue bedeviling the party ahead of his expected presidential run.
Mr. Newsom agreed that the issue of male-born athletes competing against girls and women boils down to “an issue of fairness,” saying so in an interview posted Thursday on his newly launched podcast with conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Asked by Mr. Kirk if he would “say ‘no men in women’s sports,’” Mr. Newsom agreed with the Turning Point USA founder.
“I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that,” the governor said
. “It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair.”
He isn’t the first defection — Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton raised concerns after the November election about his daughters playing against “formerly male athletes” — but Mr. Newsom is no run-of-the-mill backbencher.
The two-term governor is viewed as a favorite for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, so his bucking of party orthodoxy could signal a realignment on an issue wielded by Republicans to depict Democrats as radically out of touch with the public.
Mr. Kirk noted that a New York Times/Ipsos poll released in January showed 79% of Americans, including 94% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats, opposed letting male-born athletes compete in women’s sports.
“We’re getting crushed on it. Crushed,” the governor agreed.
While Mr. Newsom acknowledged that the issue is a loser for Democrats, he said he’s also concerned about those with gender dysphoria.
“That’s easy to call out, the unfairness of that. There’s also a humility and a grace,” he said. “These poor people are more likely to commit suicide [through] 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. So both things I can hold in my hand.”
The issue isn’t theoretical in California, where transgender athlete AB Hernandez is winning big in girls’ track and field.
The junior at Jurupa High School took first place in the high jump, long jump and triple jump last month at the Ontario Relays, setting a season record in the high jump and outdistancing the second-place finisher in the triple jump by a whopping 8 feet.
California lets scholastic athletes compete based on gender identity, but Mr. Newsom said that law predates him.
“It turns out 2014, years before I was governor, there was a law established that established the legal principles that allow trans athletes in women’s sports,” Mr. Newsom said. “But the issue of fairness is completely legit. So I completely align with you. We’ve got to own that. We’ve got to acknowledge it.”
California has an opportunity to reverse that law. State Republicans have proposed bills to bar biological males from female sports, legislation that’s essentially dead on arrival in the Democrat-controlled legislature — but Mr. Newsom could give the measures a chance by getting behind them.
Riley Gaines, host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast, predicted it won’t happen.
“He admits the unfairness is a problem but won’t take meaningful action out of fear of being perceived as unkind,” said Ms. Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and advocate for single-sex female sports.
Wow. This is the first time I’ve seen Newsom directly asked this question. As you’d expect, he continues to sit on the fence.
He admits the unfairness is a problem but won’t take meaningful action out of fear of being perceived as unkind… https://t.co/ZqgLS4aEdL
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 6, 2025
So far, Democrats have shown little interest in a reckoning on girls’ and women’s sports.
Senate Democrats voted unanimously Monday to block a floor vote on a Republican bill to require scholastic athletes to compete based on sex at birth.
Mr. Newsom’s about-face met with pushback from Democrats and transgender rights advocates who accused him of kowtowing to conservatives to bolster his political prospects in 2028.
“WTF. Trans people and LGBTQ+ people are under attack. We don’t need our gov caving to conservative talking points that further hurt and scapegoat 1% of the population,” California Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee posted on X.
Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat, applauded Mr. Lee and declared: “This is a moment for Democrats to stand for the dignity of the trans community, the immigrant community, & the most vulnerable.”
Transgender activist Charlotte Clymer accused the governor of using transgender youth as “bargaining chips in his effort to pander to anti-trans conservatives.”
“Gavin Newsom knows that the trans youth in sports issue is a ridiculous, rightwing propaganda effort. He knows this is powered by anti-trans hatred, not reason,” the activist posted on X. “And yet, he still chose to endorse attacks on trans youth to bolster his national profile for a 2028 presidential run.”
Mr. Newsom made the point that “there aren’t that many out there,” referring to the NCAA’s estimate that out of 510,000 collegiate athletes, fewer than 10 are transgender.
Supporters of single-sex sports argue that one male-born athlete can stunt the athletic careers of hundreds of female competitors by taking roster spots, victories, titles and scholarships intended for girls and women. That’s not even including the injuries such as to high school volleyballer Payton McNabb, who was partially paralyzed by a face-planting spike from a male-born player in 2022.
A United Nations report released last year found that transgender athletes captured at least 890 medals in female sports during an unspecified period, taking crowns from at least 600 women in 29 sports.
