XPost: alt.politics.democrats, alt.politics.homosexuality, sac.politics
XPost: or.politics
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is no stranger to going against
the grain on significant social issues.
Four years before California voters passed a ballot initiative banning
same-sex marriage in 2008, then-San Francisco Mayor Newsom instructed
the city clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, defying
federal law and solidifying his reputation as a longtime ally of the
LGBTQ community.
That history was top of mind for several Democrats last week, when the
governor said in his new podcast that transgender girls and women
participating in female sports leagues is “deeply unfair.” The comments made him the most prominent Democrat to buck the party and echo public
opinion on an issue that helped shape the 2024 election and could be a political liability once more in 2028.
The episode quickly made good on the promise of the podcast, advertised
as a place where the governor would “answer the hard questions.” Chief among those: Are there limits to the party’s support for transgender Americans?
“The issue of fairness is completely legit,” Newsom said on “This Is Gavin Newsom” last week. “And we’ve got to own that. We’ve got to acknowledge it.”
Democrats have spent the last several years pushing back on a wave of anti-transgender bills and rhetoric led by Republicans, including Donald
Trump, who made banning transgender athletes from women’s sports a key
part of his 2024 campaign.
Most Democrats have been steadfast in their opposition to restricting or rolling back transgender rights. But in the wake of Vice President
Kamala Harris’ loss, millions in attack ads and public polling showing a majority of Americans disagree with Democrats on transgender athletes,
some members of the party are acknowledging the political dilemma facing
them.
A January New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 79% of Americans —
including 67% of Democrats — said they believed female transgender
athletes should not be allowed to play on women’s sports teams. A Pew Research poll released last month found that 66% of Americans favor laws
that require transgender girls and women to play on the teams of the
gender they were assigned at birth.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/09/politics/gavin-newsom-democrats-trans-athletes/index.html
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