Breaking: Newsom Calls Male Participation in Female Sports ‘Deeply Unfair,’ Reflecting Democrats’ Shifting Stance

Governor Gavin Newsom diverged from the Democratic Party’s commitment to let transgender-identifying male athletes participate in female sports this week when he acknowledged that it was “deeply unfair” for women.

"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," the California Democrat said in the first episode of his new podcast. "I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you."

Newsom made the shocking admission while speaking with conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, who pressed his progressive host to step up when it comes to upholding the sanctity of women’s sports. Politico first reported on his remarks.

"I revere sports, so the issue of fairness is completely legit," Newsom continued. "And I saw that — the last couple years, boy did I [see] how you guys were able to weaponize that issue at another level." After Kirk challenged him on the characterization, Newsom replaced the word “weaponize” with “highlight.”

The governor has signed numerous bills into law advancing the transgender ideology in California, including legislation that bans school districts from requiring staff to notify parents in the event their child identifies as transgender.

Before Newsom’s tenure, the blue state already had a law on the books that allowed men to compete with women in college and youth sports and allowed transgender students to use school restrooms that align with their gender identity. That law was signed by the former governor, Jerry Brown, in 2014.

Newsom, who is a potential contender for the presidency in 2028, agreed with Kirk that President Donald Trump’s attack ad on former Vice President Kamala Harris’s support for taxpayer-funded gender transitions for detained immigrants and federal prisoners was extremely effective.

The campaign ad, which stated Harris was for “they/them” while Trump was for “you,” aired in the final days of the electoral cycle. The New York Times described it as “one of the Trump team's most effective 30-second spots,” which shifted the presidential election 2.7 points in favor of Trump.

The Harris campaign planned to release ads in response to the Trump campaign’s but decided to scrap them after they didn’t perform well in internal testing.

"She didn't even react to it, which was even more devastating," Newsom said. "Then you had the video [of Harris] as a validator. Brutal."

"It was a great ad," he added.

Newsom’s about-face reflects the wider Democratic Party’s fallout following the 2024 election. Moderate Democrats, such as Representative Seth Moulton (D., Mass.), shifted their attitudes toward the transgender issue in the wake of their devastating defeat to Republicans in the White House and Congress.

"I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete," Moulton told the Times. "But as a Democrat, I'm supposed to be afraid to say that."

Facing backlash, he defended his comments and noted the intense reaction proved his point that the Democratic Party’s stance on the transgender issue played a role in its election loss.

Newsom appeared to agree, saying Democrats have been “crushed” because they remain out of touch with ordinary Americans on the issue while Republicans gain political capital from Democrats’ opposition to keeping women safe.

On Monday, Democratic senators unanimously blocked a GOP-led bill that would have prohibited male athletes from competing in female sports. If passed and signed into law, the legislation would have prevented a future Democratic administration from rescinding Trump’s executive order that bars transgender participation on women’s sports teams.

Unlike Democratic politicians, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe men should not compete with women.

Nearly 80 percent, including 67 percent of voters who identify as Democrats or lean Democrat, said transgender-identifying male athletes should be kept out of women’s divisions, according to a New York Times/Ipsos poll conducted in January before Trump’s inauguration. Only 18 percent, including 31 percent of Democrats, said they should be allowed.

Riley Gaines criticized Newsom for continuing to “sit on the fence,” saying he “won’t take meaningful action out of fear of being perceived as unkind.”

The Independent Women’s Forum, of which Gaines is an ambassador, urged the California governor to stop lying and say “no more” to transgenderism: “If it’s ‘easy to call out the unfairness,’ then it should be easy to stand with women.”