California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing fierce backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates after using the debut episode of his new podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, to echo right-wing rhetoric about transgender athletes. In a conversation released on Wednesday, Newsom told conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk that trans women and girls competing in sports is “deeply unfair” and “an issue of fairness”—statements that LGBTQ+ advocates say lend credibility to anti-trans attacks.
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The fallout was swift. Equality California and the Human Rights Campaign condemned Newsom’s remarks, calling them a betrayal of the transgender community at a time when extremists are escalating attacks on trans rights.
Newsom’s words and the fallout
During the podcast interview, Kirk—who has spent years demonizing trans people—pushed Newsom to declare his stance on transgender athletes. Newsom, who played varsity baseball in college, didn’t hesitate:
“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. So, the issue of fairness is completely legit.”
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At one point, Newsom acknowledged that trans people face high rates of suicide, anxiety, and depression, saying that “humility and grace” should be part of the conversation. But LGBTQ+ advocates argue that his words did exactly the opposite—validating the very people driving the attacks.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, has a long history of promoting anti-LGBTQ+ extremism. TPUSA regularly hosts speakers who spread misinformation about transgender people, such as Chloe Cole, a vocal detransition activist, and organizes events with titles like "The Trans Deception." The group has also erected anti-LGBTQ+ billboards, including in Nashville, spreading false claims that teachers are “grooming” children into being LGBTQ+. Most alarmingly, TPUSA affiliates have resorted to violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, including a 2023 incident in which a queer professor at Arizona State University was attacked over his involvement in drag performance, GLAAD notes.
A spokesperson for Newsom later attempted damage control, telling The Advocate that the governor rejects “the right wing’s cynical attempt to weaponize this debate as an excuse to vilify individual kids.” They pointed to Newsom’s long record of defending LGBTQ+ rights, including expanding gender-inclusive restrooms, protecting access to gender-affirming care, and increasing mental health resources for LGBTQ+ youth.
But for LGBTQ+ rights advocates, that record doesn’t excuse this moment.
“We are profoundly disappointed and angered by Governor Newsom’s comments about transgender youth and their ability to participate in sports,” said Equality California executive director Tony Hoang in a statement. “Transgender kids—like all kids—deserve the chance to play sports alongside their teammates and learn important values like leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship.”
California Assemblyman Chris Ward and state Sen. Carolina Menjivar, who lead the state’s LGBTQ+ caucus, rebuked the governor for his word, the Associated Press reports.
“Sometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile in Courage, sometimes not. We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks,” they said.
Testing his 2028 presidential message
Newsom’s comments come after some debate within the Democratic Party about what went wrong in the 2024 election, which saw President Donald Trump return to the White House and Republicans seize control of both chambers of Congress. Some Democratic strategists have argued that cultural issues—including trans rights—played a role in the party’s losses, a talking point Newsom now seems to be leaning into.
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Polling suggests Americans remain divided on transgender athletes. A New York Times/Ipsos poll in January found that almost 70 percent of Democrats oppose allowing transgender women and girls to compete in women’s sports. A 2023 Gallup poll found Democrats split on whether trans people should compete according to their gender identity.
Newsom, a longtime champion of LGBTQ+ rights, now appears to be trying to thread the political needle by putting trans rights on the line.
‘History doesn’t remember those who waver’
HRC president Kelley Robinson criticized Newsom’s apparent flip-flop.
“When LGBTQ+ lives are under attack, real leaders don’t hedge—they fight,” Robinson told The Advocate.
“Across this country, extremists are stripping away rights, banning books, and targeting trans kids just for being who they are. This is not the time for political calculations or playing it safe—it’s time to be bold, to stand up, and to say unequivocally: we will protect LGBTQ+ people with everything we’ve got.”
Robinson made it clear that leaders who waver on LGBTQ+ rights won’t be forgotten—or forgiven.
“The fight for equality has never been easy, but history doesn’t remember those who waver—it remembers those who refuse to back down. Our message to Gov. Newsom and all leaders across the country is simple: The path to 2028 isn’t paved with the betrayal of vulnerable communities—it’s built on the courage to stand up for what’s right and do the hard work to actually help the American people.”
GLAAD criticized the podcast episode for omitting key facts about transgender inclusion in sports.
“Any time an elected leader publicly discusses LGBTQ people, it is an opportunity to dispel myths and educate those unfamiliar with our community and the daily discrimination we face. Many Americans believe they have never personally met a transgender person, and it’s important to bridge the gap in understanding,” a GLAAD spokesperson told The Advocate.
“This podcast episode left out facts about inclusion in sports. The truth is, young people learn many life lessons playing sports: leadership, confidence, self-respect, and the value of teamwork. No one should be denied the opportunity to play sports just because of who they are. Players at all levels – high school, collegiate, and professional – already follow rigorous protocols to maintain their eligibility. In fact, the International Olympic Committee states that there should be ‘no presumption of advantage’ for transgender athletes. Individual opinion shouldn’t override these commonsense guidelines that are already in place.”
Political play or a personal betrayal?
Newsom’s comments mark a significant departure from his past stance on LGBTQ+ rights. As San Francisco mayor in 2004, he ordered the city to issue same-sex marriage licenses, a move that helped California legalize same-sex marriage in 2008—years before the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the right nationwide.
And just last year, in the spin room at the ABC News presidential debate in Philadelphia, when Newsom spoke to The Advocate about right-wing attacks on transgender people on the right, his response was unwavering:
“It is what these guys do. It’s part of their culture war. They’re rewriting history, censoring historical facts,” Newsom said at the time. “These guys are rewriting quite literally history books. They’re going after and attacking vulnerable communities. It’s a sign of desperation. Sad.”
The stakes for transgender Californians
Newsom’s pivot couldn’t come at a worse time for trans people.
Trump is openly threatening transgender rights, promising to cut federal funding for schools that allow trans athletes to compete and rolling out executive orders targeting transgender people in every facet of society.
His campaign spent tens of millions on transphobic attack ads targeting former Vice President Kamala Harris, branding her as out of step with American values. The tagline? “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”
Newsom, speaking to Kirk, said those attacks were effective. “Boy, did I see how you guys were able to weaponize it,” he said before backtracking and calling it a “highlight” of the campaign.
Despite Newsom’s comments, California law remains one of the strongest in the nation for trans athletes. A state law enacted before Newsom took office requires schools to allow transgender students to compete consistent with their gender identity.
“We all want sports to be fair and student-athletes to be safe,” Hoang said. “Athletic associations already make rules about who can participate in different sports at different levels across a range of issues, including this one.”
Hoang added: "We are coming out of an election cycle where extremist politicians spent hundreds of millions of dollars spreading hateful disinformation about transgender people and have a federal administration that unleashed five anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders in its first two weeks. California and our leaders have an obligation to fight back and protect transgender people who are just trying to live their lives."
