Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a podcast Thursday with conservative show host and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk that men competing in women’s sports is “deeply unfair,” despite supporting several policies in his state that undermine women’s spaces.
The governor said in his newly-launched podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” that Democrats are out of touch on the issue and “the issue of fairness is completely legit” when asked by Kirk if he would “say no men in female sports.” Despite this answer, Newsom has frequently supported policies that allow men in women’s prisons and allow schools to secretly transition children without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
“Well, 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,” Newsom told Kirk. “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”
Newsom still claimed, however, that the some on the political right “weaponize” the issue of transgender-identifying athletes, specifically calling out Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been persistent in rooting out gender ideology in his state. Newsom has previously said that the issue should be approached with more “sensitivity.”
Throughout his time in office, Newsom as supported policies that expand access to women’s spaces for males who identify as transgender women. For instance, the California governor signed a law in 2020 allowing male prisoners to enter women’s prisons and forces the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to ask inmates for their preferred pronouns and gender identity.
In 2024, California became the first state to ban schools from creating policies requiring teachers and staff to notify parents if a child requests to change their name or pronouns, use opposite-sex facilities or play on opposite-sex sports teams. Another California law signed in 2023 requires all stores that sell children’s items to have a “gender neutral” section or face fines.
California education code permits athletes to participate on whichever team is “consistent with his or her gender identity.” The state’s Civil Rights Act further includes “gender identity” under its definition of sex.
In 2022, Newsom signed a bill making California a “sanctuary” for transgender-identifying children, allowing them and their families to flock to the state to obtain sex change procedures in order to skirt Republican-led state bans and parental consent laws.
Other policies implemented in the state include providing health care to illegal immigrants that covers sex change procedures and requiring training for judges that teaches them to question a parent’s fitness to care for their child if they do not affirm their gender confusion.
“California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to the ongoing work to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all Californians,” Newsom once said in a press release announcing the signing of several laws geared towards transgender children. “These measures will help protect vulnerable youth, promote acceptance, and create more supportive environments in our schools and communities.”
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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