Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said transgender athletes playing in women’s sports is “an issue of fairness” in a break from most Democrats’ position on the topic.
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I have to agree with this. At the same time, let’s leave our trans brothers and sisters free to be who they are. The reality is that the number of athletes impacted by this is actually way tiny. No reason to be so worked up.
You can't legislate what qualifies as the color blue and you can't legislatively define what human phenotype qualifies as fair in sports. You can debate it on a case-by-case basis but you can't codify it into a universal rule.
If you are an athlete in competition it’s a high priority. It’s not 1925, it shouldn’t be so difficult to agree on simple rules while also remaining inclusive.
Having independent sporting organizations set rules for competition is entirely different than the government stepping in and making the rules regardless of participant input.
Oh, and show me the trans athlete that beat you out for a scholarship or other high level award, and I'll show you a cis person with a genetic advantage. Where does it end?
I’ve seen the genetic advantage argument before (e.g. Michael Phelps), but his advantage is natural - which is why there are already rules against steroids and other “scientific advantages”.
This is all solving for a fringe to nil case. What about all the cis female athletes with lifelong high testosterone? Intersex but presenting female? How far is it going to go in the gatekeeping until anyone who wins is tested out of competition thereafter or women are driven out of sport entirely?
As soon as trans issues stop taking up such a disproportionate amount of the political conversation, Democrats can win elections and we can get down to the business of safeguarding democracy and a livable planet.
If Republicans make it disproportionate by weaponizing trans issues to motivate their base, it's not fair to "blame the victims" who advocate for trans issues. That's the old '90s Clinton middle-of-the-road playbook of performatively telling various special interests and minorities to "shut up."
He’s right! When you see the male body next to a female, they may identify with female, but their strength & muscles are male! This issue is killing Dems!
There should be no gender categories in publicly funded sports. Anyone who qualifies should play/run/jump, and the winner crowned. After all, it's just sports.. invented games.
I'm as wokr as the next person but alot of the centre thinks the same this is a losing issue it plays right into trumps hands - the answer is that I don't support it but I would do the conservative thing and not legislate it, I'd let each sporting body and community make these decisions
I don’t think most Democrats think it is exactly fair, most of us think it is a non issue, Trans numbers are low… if high school competition resulted in scholarships or something substantial, then yes apply fair rules…BUT I want my tax money supporting participation over winning
Oh I agree, I don’t think it should be a platform we stand on or anything like that. I was actually arguing that I don’t think most democrats think it’s fair as the post implies, but we just don’t see a need to flip out over it either
I get you. Personally, I think this is a smart position for him to take now in preparation for a 2028 run. Distancing himself from a position that the majority of Americans think is loco.
Agreed. Trans people deserve equal rights, but the sports issue is a bit complicated. Even though only a small percentage of trans athletes exist, it is definitely possible for them to have advantages over other women in sports. We need to stop pandering to culture wars and focus on real issues.
He’s not wrong. Sports rules need to be amended to make the most fair competition - that doesn’t mean banning trans athletes; it means finding a way to keep competition fair and inclusive.
The trans community in itself is so small, the % of them that are athletes is even smaller. This "issue" impacts basically no one why do we spend so much time talking about this non issue...
The number of billionaires is small, but we debate their influence.
The number of mass shooters is small, but we debate their violence.
The number of trans athletes is small, but we debate their rights.
Issues aren’t about size—they’re about principles. Without them, we are fodder
It is an issue of fairness. It’s not wrong to say men are generally stronger, faster and more athletic. To ignore this to let the few participate in womens sports is unfair from a science perspective. Shouldn’t be controversial
Democrats need to learn how marketing works. We over complicate everything. Find sound bites and emotionally charged issues people care about and blast them. That’s how you get votes
Thank you thank you thank you!! Finally a Democrat publically making a fucking normal common sense decision that men should not be able to compete against women!! Any man that wants to beat the shit out of a woman in her own sport knowing he can do it is a f****** narcissistic abusive bastard.
It’s unpopular with Dems, but I agree. Women fought long and hard to have equal access to athletic funding. Will it matter for 99% of athletes? No, but there are certain sports and certain levels where it does matter. Why do Dems allow this to be a Litmus test?
Trans athletes are unfair to 100% of the athletes they compete against, regardless of how small that number is. Agree women fought hard to get where they are, get the boys out. Gavin is brave for saying it, but this is a swing state loser for Dems.
It's a bold move from Newsom! This stance certainly shakes up the conversations around sports equity and inclusivity. As complex as the issue is, prioritizing fairness for all athletes is crucial in the evolving landscape of sports.
I think it’s a complicated issue and should be addressed on a case by case basis, tending towards the principle of inclusion. But obviously if the transgender person has a proclivity towards aggression, then they might not be a good fit for women’s sports.
I agree. Im a Democrat, played sports many years in school in female varsity and belong to lgbtq community. I cant see myself playing defense in a court with transgender athlete. But i love my transgender friends and family.
It’s a travesty how the US is now isolated because trump is making our ally countries enemies. Maybe they should put trump on the list with Putin? Does trump think they have to like him? Ford in Canada acknowledges it’s one terrible president and not Americans playing bad. Good for Ford.
This is one issue I agree with. Trans women should compete against trans women. There are only 10 in this country. I wish in the name of fairness people would stop pushing this agenda. There, I said it. Now, everyone who disagrees can shout me down and unfollow me to punish me for not agreeing.
Only around 20 trans athletes compete in NCAA sports out of 600k athletes and yet we keep talking about it given republicans the edge in this issue. There should be rules that make sense and fairness in contact sports and there might be sports that having trans people is probably not a problem.
Only 0.00002% of collegiate athletes are transgendered, yet the Democrats have let Republicans control the narrative so that middle America believes we Democrats don't care about anything else.
American People wake up & pay attention. Trump's speech was a campaign scam that will not come to pass. Conduct your research. All his promises will go from bad to ugly and to worse. Brace yourself, folks. A tsunami is coming. To Trump voters, this will affect you too! GOD BLESS UKRAINE!
he wants to play footsie with MAGAs. he thinks it will help him win in 2028. he let Charlie roll over him on a number of topics, not just this one. Gavin is a piece of shit in it for himself.
@governor.ca.gov this is exactly the kind of positions the Democratic Party needs to take if it wants to get back in power. Stick to core issues, like basic human rights, economy, national defense, immigration, etc. and stay away from fringe issues that are not on the majority of Americans’ mind.
The majority of Americans are near the middle. Not far right it far left. Unfortunately, recent elections force us to pick one of the evils, or not vote. Aim for the middle.
When the DNC recruits candidates for the 2026 mid-terms, they need to understand things like this. That is how far to take support on a particular issue. Need to get closer to political center, which is where the majority of Americans reside.
Gavin can eat shit. He will never be president. He's a fake progressive who wants to play footsie with MAGA. All he cares about is his own glorification and obtaining power. Piece of shit.
No one more than the billionaires love that the people will continue to fight over these issues. Because like thieves in the night, they are stealing all the wealth of this country as everyone fights over whether the sports team is fair or not.
I think the decisions should be made "case by case", taking into account the people involved. If they can do it, girls should be allowed to play football, imo. There is no "one fits all" solution to this issue. I think even Katlyn (Bruce) Jenner agrees with Gov. Newsom on this.
he wants to play footsie with MAGAs. he thinks it will help him win in 2028. he let Charlie roll over him on a number of topics, not just this one. Gavin is a piece of shit in it for himself.
Agree. I support health care for transgender youths, letting them use bathroom accdg to gender identity, protections from discrimination, etc. but sports where masculine muscle is an advantage may not be fair. A compromise could be let them compete as guest and not for medal.
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For example, why could the basketball association lower the rim height, so the shorties can also compete in the game, height discrimination.
Politician should stay out of this kind of discussion.
They are fixed for life during fertilization (genotype) and during embryonic development (phenotype).
But the right to change gender exists and does demand respect.
So too all opinions on the subject.
The number of mass shooters is small, but we debate their violence.
The number of trans athletes is small, but we debate their rights.
Issues aren’t about size—they’re about principles. Without them, we are fodder
Why are we talking about transgender in sports?
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-plans-revoke-legal-status-ukrainians-who-fled-us-sources-say-2025-03-06/
need their own team.
And these need to be determined on a case by case basis.
https://www.wired.com/story/gsa-sale-cia-facility/