"California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is now saying that his state should consider rolling back its law allowing trans students to participate in school sports as their gender, while he argues that he isn't transphobic because he has signed many pro-trans rights bills and also has a trans godson. "I disagree with all the vitriol, but I agree on the issue of fairness in that respect, that it is unfair in these circumstances, and I haven't been able to reconcile it," he told KQED this past Friday about the issue of trans student-athletes."
"California's previous governor, Jerry Brown, signed a law in 2013 that allows trans kids to participate in school sports as their gender. This law barely drew attention from the right for years - the current president didn't try to get schools to defy it during his first term, as he's doing now - but ever since Republicans made trans kids' rights part of their national strategy in 2021, the law has faced criticism."
"In March of this year, Newsom told late rightwing podcaster Charlie Kirk that it's "deeply unfair" that trans girls get to participate in school sports. In July, he repeated the sentiment on another podcast, saying that he has heard complaints about trans girls participating in school sports from "good human beings," not just conservatives. "Because you oppose sports does not make you a bigot, doesn't make you homophobic," Newsom said at the time. "And my party needs to stop saying that.""
California enacted a 2013 law allowing transgender students to participate in school sports consistent with their gender. The law remained largely unchallenged until partisan focus on transgender rights intensified in 2021, prompting renewed criticism and political debate. Key concerns center on perceived fairness and possible impacts on other athletes' rights when transgender girls compete in girls' sports. Simultaneously, legislative support for transgender protections and personal advocacy persist. The conversation frames some opposition as a fairness issue rather than automatic prejudice, increasing pressure to reevaluate existing policy and its practical effects.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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