Gavin Newsom splits with Democrats on transgender athletes, calling it "deeply unfair"

by Cecilio Padilla
March 6, 2025

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, one of the most prominent Democratic party voices, said Thursday on his new podcast that it's "deeply unfair" to allow transgender women to participate in women's sports, marking a turn for a politician who first made national headlines when he issued marriage licenses for same-sex couples as San Francisco mayor in 2004.

Newsom is already facing blowback from his own party after comments he made in the debut episode of his podcast "This is Gavin Newsom."

The podcast is being touted by Newsom as a way to "change the conversation" by talking directly to people on the opposite side of his politics. In the first episode, released Thursday, Newsom sits down with conservative media figure Charlie Kirk from Turning Point USA.

Newsom waded into the issue of transgender athletes after Kirk mentions the recent news of a high school trans athlete in California who won a girls' triple jump event.

"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 said