Gavin Newsom tried to take a stand on transgender kids competing in sports.
Trump has repeatedly threatened California with unspecified financial pain for its law which allows students to compete on the teams matching their gender identities.
Last week, a Newsom representative praised the California Interscholastic Federation’s “reasonable” 11th-hour rule change that allows more girls to compete in events when a trans opponent is involved.
“The DOJ’s letter to school districts does not announce any new federal law, and state law on this issue has remained unchanged since 2013.” Newsom has a long history of supporting LGBTQ rights.
Members of the Legislature’s LGBTQ caucus were reluctant to criticize Newsom publicly, even if they were not happy with his attention-grabbing comments.
Calif.’s Sacramento — Gov. Gavin Newsom made an effort to voice his opinion about transgender children participating in sports. He has instead thrown the state and himself into a national quagmire.
Newsom is now in the awkward position of defending himself against threats and jabs from President Donald Trump, who is upset about the state’s permissive laws, just months after the Democratic governor split from progressive allies by calling it “unfair” to allow trans athletes to compete on girls’ teams.
Some of the governor’s followers claim that he was just voicing an old conviction. However, his position has not appeased conservative critics who blame Newsom for not doing more, nor progressive allies who saw the governor’s remarks as a betrayal.
Furthermore, some Democrats have been angry at Newsom for tripping into what they believe should have been a clear trap as the controversy has once again brought California into the public eye.
Last weekend’s triumphs by a transgender girl at a state track and field championship have intensified the conflict between California and an antagonistic White House. Trump has threatened California’s law that permits students to compete on teams that correspond to their gender identities with unidentified financial harm on multiple occasions. In addition, the U. S. . California schools that don’t change their ways risk legal action, the Department of Justice has warned.
By using the governor’s earlier remarks regarding fairness to support his rants, the president hasn’t missed the chance to make the conflict especially awkward for Newsom.
Despite his earlier calls for the high school junior to be banned from the competition, Trump doubled down in a social media post late Monday, complaining that the transgender athlete had won both the girls’ high jump and the triple jump at the championships over the weekend.
“As Governor Gavin Newscum is well aware, there will be massive fines!” Trump wrote on social media, employing a favorite insult.
Newsom’s tenuous political stance has been brought to light by the criticism.
In March, when Newsom invited conservative commentator Charlie Kirk to his podcast, Kirk pointedly inquired about a transgender girl who was on the verge of winning a track title and informed Newsom that he had the “opportunity to run to the middle” by speaking up. As Democrats recovered from a devastating 2024 election, Newsom’s decision to side with Kirk drew both harsh criticism and acclaim for defying progressive convention.
An anonymous Democratic consultant with experience in LGBTQ politics said, “This is sloppy — it’s not part of a smart, masterful tack-to-the-middle play.”. Anyone with a few remaining brain cells could have predicted that the president would turn his words against him. “”.
The problem has dominated conservative media coverage, sparked nationwide Republican assaults on vulnerable California House Democrats, and influenced the state’s emerging contest to succeed Newsom when he steps down next year. During his campaign outside this weekend’s track meet in the Clovis, Fresno suburb, Republican candidate Steve Hilton promised to repeal a 2013 state law that permits students to compete on teams that correspond to their gender identities.
With supporters holding “save girls sports” signs at his sides, Hilton declared, “This cruelty, this absurdity, this unfairness will end one way or another when I am governor of California.”.
Despite his vocal opposition to the status quo, Newsom has not done much to alter it. Democratic state lawmakers blocked Republican legislation that would have repealed that statute earlier this year, and he stayed out of the fray.
A representative for Newsom last week commended the California Interscholastic Federation for its “reasonable” last-minute rule change that permits more girls to participate in competitions with trans opponents. Following the same trans athlete’s qualification for state championships last week, Trump posted a social media tirade, prompting the state regulator to amend its regulations.
However, federal critics were not placated by that change. The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school athletics, received a letter from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if school districts do not comply with the state’s trans athlete policy by next week.
Harmeet K. sent the letter. Former California Republican Party official and assistant attorney general for civil rights Dhillon asserted that California was in breach of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, which forbids sex-based discrimination.
According to the Equal Protection Clause, “knowingly denying female students access to athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex would constitute unconstitutional sex discrimination,” Dhillon wrote. Scientific data indicates that forcing girls to compete against men would upset the historical status quo and deny them advantages and opportunities in sports due to their sex. “”.
Further comment was declined by a Newsom official. The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta is “very concerned with the Trump Administration’s ongoing threats to California schools,” according to a statement from the office’s spokesperson. The statement also pledged to protect “the rights of students — including transgender students — to be free from discrimination and harassment.”. “.”.
Public Instruction State Superintendent Tony Thurmond urged school districts to maintain the line. Thurmond challenged the claim that California’s policies were illegal under federal law and could jeopardize funding in a formal guidance that was distributed to superintendents on Tuesday.
The gubernatorial candidate Thurmond issued a statement saying, “Let’s be clear: sending a letter does not change the law.”. There is no new federal legislation announced in the DOJ’s letter to school districts, and state law has not changed on this matter since 2013. “”.
Newsom has long advocated for the rights of LGBTQ people. As San Francisco’s mayor, he famously issued same-sex marriage licenses in violation of federal law.
He has inspired and disappointed transgender Californians during his time as governor. In response to a threat from Elon Musk, he signed legislation prohibiting schools from requiring parents to be informed about their children’s gender identities. He also vetoed a bill that would have permitted the consideration of children’s gender identities when determining custody.
Despite their disapproval of Newsom’s eye-catching remarks, members of the LGBTQ caucus in the Legislature were hesitant to publicly criticize him.
According to Assemblymember Alex Lee, “his podcast career is his podcast career.”. Anything he desires to do with Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. However, his policies remain unchanged. He hasn’t taken any different action. He said nonsense on a dumb podcast. “”.
Lee claimed that although Newsom has a lengthy history of being “usually on the right side,” his recent actions are not politically astute unless he “wants to run in the Republican primary, I guess, where all they do is talk about culture wars,” she said. “.”.
According to Evan Low, a former California state lawmaker and president of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, Republicans are still attacking trans rights in an effort to divert attention from their unpopular policy stances. Newsom’s record on LGBTQ issues was commended, and he warned against adopting the Republican strategy.
According to Low, “no one can destroy his record.”. “At the same time, I caution everyone in our ecosystem to avoid becoming a victim of this false narrative. “”.
