California Gov. Gavin Newsom does not like being on Donald Trump’s side on any issue.
But when it comes to transgender girls and women in sports, particularly at the school level, the Democrat said he largely agrees with the Republican president. Newsom, one of his party’s leading White House prospects, believes it’s “deeply unfair” for people who are assigned male at birth to compete against girls.
“I don’t want to be on that side of it, but I’m being honest — I’d be lying to you if I said differently,” Newsom told The Associated Press as he was campaigning recently in South Carolina. “I haven’t been able to figure out how to make it fair from my perspective.”
Newsom is not alone.
While most Democratic officials remain steadfast supporters of the transgender community, an increasing number in red and blue states are distancing themselves from their party’s unflinching support for the transgender community’s policy priorities, such as allowing athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity. The shift follows years of conservative attacks against Democrats on the divisive issue, which affects a relatively small number of transgender people and their families, but has emerged as one of Republicans’ most potent political weapons in the Trump era.
The science is pretty clear. I’d be alarmed if a presidential candidate’s official position is one of deliberately rejecting scientific consensus.
You’re right, and you’re wrong. The science is clear. Trans women have no advantage at all in sports. The science is very clear on this. Every time a sports agency has actually tried to set a policy based on science, they’ve created policies where trans women on HRT for a few years can compete in women’s sports. This was the policy of the Olympics and NCAA until Republicans needed a new scapegoat.
The real problem is that dumbasses think trans women are “biologically male,” watch as their two brain cells spurt and spark, and conclude that trans women must have the same athletic profile as cis men.
Trans women are biologically female. In basically every area except reproduction, your hormones are your sex.
One of the last things the biden admin did was take away gender affirming care from the trans kids of military members. That shit fucking sent me into a wall. Now here we are, watching the record be corrected right in front of us.
Fuck Joe biden, fuck trump, fuck the USA. We dont have to be like this. We can have real choices at the voting booth.
Conservatives probably want to vote differently as well. We need to give ourselves the freedom to pick what we needin life.
I haven’t been able to figure out how to make it fail from my perspective
How about you don’t use your flawed perspective? Let’s use science and studies and data. Quote why you don’t think it’s fair… I wish politicians actually used their resources instead of this, “Well I think…” bullshit.
Why stop there? Let’s make sports very fair!
If you can run faster, you get weighed down with bricks! If you can punch harder, you have to wear gloves!
It’s funny to me of all of the things they think people can self-regulate, somehow sports aren’t among those. Somehow, we need genital inspectors.
Somehow, the corporations that pollute our water and air can figure out what the right amount of pollution is without government oversight, but the girl’s tennis team at the local high school just can’t help themselves, they need the long arm of the federal government to intervene!
This country is a foul joke.
How many people do you know born with bricks and gloves?
Literally anyone who isn’t athletic
Ah ok so we just shouldn’t have women’s sports at all?
Wtf? Are you trying to say women can’t be athletic?
You know I’m not. Answer the question.
The reality of being a transgender person in America in 2026 is that on election nights, while other folks are talking about who had a good night and who had a bad night, sometimes you are quietly wondering, ‘Am I going to be OK?’" Hack said.
That. That is what the cishet majority does not even consider. The amount of trans athletes in competition is stupid small. The cishet’s also do not know what trans care for youth looks like. They can’t be bothered to google it, so they believe whatever angry person on tv/twitter says.
Removed by mod
You sound triggered 🤣
Oh, it’s “recalibrating” is it, you fucking cowards?
And, fuck Newsom anyway. He was never on anyone’s side but his own.
I think they mean “recalibrating” as in choosing the right gun for the job
It’s disgusting that PBS wrote the article in a manner that minimizes the injustice against transgender athletes and justifies the decision made by opportunistic, spineless Democrats like Newsom.
Hey, maybe don’t cosplay a sports expert and let the actual sports experts decide the rules for their sport. You know, just a thought.
Seems that easy.
Sports have always been about fairness and not necessarily how everyone would want it framed according to gender, etc.
There’s a reason there are weight classes in wrestling/boxing, multiple divisions in American football and other sports classed to the student population and reach of the school, etc. etc. It was always about having a level playing field as it does no one any good when a team/athlete just gets beaten down nonstop game after game.
Just say “this is up to the sports authority to decide and government should not be involved.”
But, boys better in every way! Female inferior! /s …kind of … I mean, this is basically what these idiots are saying. No matter the age of the transition, an AMAB will ALWAYS be superior to an AFAB and they can’t even conceive that it could possibly be otherwise (do you hear ANY outrage about trans men in sports?)
I believe that the testosterone trans men take as HRT is banned as a performance enhancing drug, so they often cant play even if they want to.
Trans women, on the other hand, basically take birth control pills.
Better than that, because I never got such wonderful effects. But I do wonder about any medical risks?
Before they bowed down to Trump I think the NCAA had a fair policy. If an athlete had not gone through puberty as a male then they were eligible for the female division. Of course the bans on puberty blockers quickly made that a moot policy.
I think this is the correct framing. Unfortunately the reality is that the trans sports issue is not a popular stance for the left. I don’t believe in compromising our ethics for popularity but we can do the next best thing which is reframe the debate.
I think the new debate should be: explain why you think big government should be deciding how sports leagues decide eligibility? This is especially potent since it makes the right look like hypocrites for screeching about pointless regulations for years and then immediately endorsing some of the most unnecessary and hateful intrusions into our lives the second they gain power.
Ahead of every ballot, Ds abandon the most vulnerable members of our coalition to court centrists donors’ money, and then after every ballot they do a post-mortem that shows they lost because voters couldn’t stomach the compromise
While most Democratic officials remain steadfast supporters of the transgender community, an increasing number in red and blue states are distancing themselves from their party’s unflinching support for the transgender community’s policy priorities, such as allowing athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity. The shift follows years of conservative attacks against Democrats on the divisive issue, which affects a relatively small number of transgender people and their families, but has emerged as one of Republicans’ most potent political weapons in the Trump era.
Nah, it’s the lucrative side contracts that oat family members and businesses that are in [not] blind trusts that really keep them motivated.
In what world is Newsom a leading Democratic prospect?!
I’d put PBS up there with James Carvel on having their finger on the pulse of the democratic base.
Give Newsom some time to shapeshift into something passable as human. Version 4.20 is gonna rock your socks off!
“Recalibrating” is an interesting way to spell “betraying.”
Caliber:
the diameter of a bullet or other projectile.
the diameter of a bore of a gun usually expressed in hundredths or thousandths of an inch and typically written as a decimal fraction
I think they mean that the Democrats are choosing a bigger gun. Once sufficient to take us down.
Party’s unflinching support eh? I must have missed that part…
If the Democrats want to win elections they’re going to have to appeal to enough American voters.
Unfortunately, a lot of American voters are pretty regressive in this way. So now Democrats face the question: compromise a few principles for the sake of their other principles actually getting implemented, or take the high ground and lose. Thus sacrificing all of those principles.
Never a fun place to be in, but that’s democracy.
Except caving on trans rights hasn’t actually helped them win. It’s just another failed attempt to appeal to Republicans.
Progressive and socialist platforms are very popular, in hindsight. It’s just that propaganda can make people who rely on, say, the ACA vote against “Obamacare”. And don’t get me started on the voter suppression and gerrymandering in the states.
It’s never as simple as “just say what people want to hear” unless you are low-down cheaters who only court hateful morons.
That’s setting aside how many Democrats just dance to the tune of Citizens United and just lose or punch left.
Progressive and socialist platforms are very popular, in hindsight. It’s just that propaganda can make people who rely on, say, the ACA vote against “Obamacare”.
In two sentences you first tell me that a thing is popular, and then explain why that thing is not actually popular.
People fall for propaganda. Evidently Democrats haven’t been very good at countering it, and they really need to win some elections soon. So if countering the propaganda isn’t working they may have to live with it. Doing the “Am I so out of touch? No. It’s the voters who are wrong.” Simpsons meme thing isn’t going to work.
You can understand me if you try a little harder. The actual policy is popular, but people are easily tricked into voting against their interests.
While most Democratic officials remain steadfast supporters of the transgender community, an increasing number in red and blue states are distancing themselves from their party’s unflinching support for the transgender community’s policy priorities, such as allowing athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity.
This is an extremely dishonest and inaccurate framing.
The way California handled it at women’s state track this past season I think is a fair balance. There was a MTF gal that took second in some race, and she and another each got credit for second place. At least until a better solution comes up, I don’t see why that would be an issue.
I can see an argument why that’s not fair to a trans individual for singling them out, but in that same vein there’s an argument about how a MTF may have biological advantages over the competition.
If the above can’t be achieved, I think allowing trans in sports is the right call. As someone that was a competitive athlete, I have to admit that I didn’t just jump to this opinion and did have to reason with myself. I was never against it, but still had instinctive doubts.
That’s not to defend Newsome at all, he’s a snake. Even if these are is true beliefs, that he doesn’t want to be on that side and perhaps it’s a moral dilemma he knows is wrong, he can absolutely do better than this.
Its dumb that politicians are even involved in this non-issue, its the same with trans medical stuff, in what other areas would a sleazy politician ever be invited to dictate what happens between a person and their dr/medical care?
There’s a parallel in these things that I feel gets missed in all the hubbub. Why are their opinions or attention warranted, much less demanded on either matter? Why so quick to praise one and condemn the other with the same hand.
Reproductive care.
Parallel placing systems? Damn maybe everyone can come first now
Not how that works. Assuming 3 MTF trans athletes took the top three spots, they would also place 3 females at birth as the top 3. In this case, the trans girl took second overall, so she shared second. Nobody got displaced, everyone was able to compete. In the way, a trans athlete would share the same position of the closest competition that they bested and behind anyone else they didn’t.
