California Gov. Gavin Newsom Says Transgender Athletes Competing In Women’s Sports Is ‘Deeply Unfair,’ Breaking With Democrat’s Liberal Wing

Baila Eve ZismanMarch 8, 2025, 1:28 pmNews >

On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) launched This Is Gavin Newsom, his new political podcast that saw him breaking away from his party’s liberal stances, the first episode features him agreeing with hard-right influencer Charlie Kirk that transgender athletes should be kept out of sports.

Newsom’s podcast, which he has posed as a platform for him to have conversations with Republican and Trump-world figures, is widely viewed to be an attempt to market himself to moderates as a centrist. As Newsom’s term comes to an end in 2026, he is expected to run for president in 2028.

Kirk has marketed homophobia across social media platforms, among his other far-right views, claiming that the “LGBTQ agenda” harms children, and advocating for laws against gay marriage and gender-affirming care.

Referring to an Arizona high school athlete, Kirk said, “You, right now, should come out and be like, you know what, the young man who’s about to win the state championship in the long jump in female sports — that shouldn’t happen. You as the governor should step up and say no.”

Rather than correcting Kirk’s misgendering of the female athlete, Newsom agreed, “I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair…I revere sports, and so the issue of fairness is completely legit.”

He further asserted to Kirk that Democrats were getting “crushed, crushed” on the concept of transgender athletes in sports. Referencing Republicans to Kirk, Newsom said, “I saw that, the last couple years, boy did I [see] how you guys were able to weaponize that issue at another level.”

Newsom went on to voice general support for the LGBTQ community but claimed that transgender athletes’ rights did not overlap.

Newsom’s comments are particularly striking given his past status as a pioneer for gay rights. “I’ve been a leader in the LGBTQ places, as, you know, back in 2004 [I] was marrying same-sex couples,” he said.

He continued to Kirk, “I know we have [a] difference [of] opinion on marriage equality, and so I’ve been at this for years and years, I take a backseat to no one.”

However, despite his vocal willingness to “sit this one out,” Newsom called attention to the discrimination transgender individuals go through, saying, “You know, 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.”

Newsom has received outstanding criticism from liberals across the country scorning his “hypocritical stance.” The Human Rights Campaign released a statement saying, “Californians – and ALL Americans – need leaders who have courage in their convictions, and who will show up for them, in the faces of people who want to see us all back in the closet.”