California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) said Thursday that biological men participating in women’s sports is "an issue of fairness." He criticized Caitlyn Jenner for a nearly identical comment just a few years earlier.
"You right now should come out and be like, ‘You know what? The young man who’s about to win the state championship in the long jump in female sports—that shouldn’t happen," Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said on the inaugural episode of the governor’s podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom. "You, as the governor, should step up and say, ‘No.’ Would you do something like that? Would you say, ‘No men in female sports’?"
"I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. So that’s easy to call out—the unfairness of that," Newsom responded. "I revere sports, and so the issue of fairness is completely legit."
That remark echoes comments Jenner made in 2021—comments Newsom rejected.
"This is a question of fairness," the Olympic gold medalist and transgender woman said at the time. "That’s why I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls’ sports in school. It just isn’t fair, and we have to protect girls’ sports in our schools."
An unnamed spokesman for Newsom pushed back at the time, telling Fox News that California already allows students to "participate in activities consistent with their gender identity" and that the state "isn't going backwards on these issues."
Newsom wants to ensure "trans Californians are fully acknowledged in accordance with their gender identity while interacting with public services," the spokesman added.
Equality California, an LGBT advocacy group, even used Newsom’s support for transgender children to rally support for the governor as he faced a 2021 recall election.
"Here are the facts: @Caitlyn_Jenner is willing to sacrifice the health & well-being of #trans kids to win votes," the group posted on X. "@GavinNewsom is not. It’s that simple."
On Monday, Democrats blocked a Senate bill that aimed to bar biological boys and men from competing in female sports. When asked about Newsom’s comments, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said, "What Democrats opposed was unleashing sexual predators on girls throughout the United States."
Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential hopeful, aims to use his podcast to air discussions with conservative and MAGA voices. The move comes as Democrats and political observers blame a right-wing media ecosphere for their losses in the November election.
Newsom has regularly been seen as an ally for transgender issues more broadly. In 2023, he dismissed concerns of children secretly transitioning in school, calling it "one of the greatest distractions." A year later, he signed an unpopular bill banning schools from alerting parents if their child decided to socially transition their gender.