Newsom faces fiery backlash after talking 'issue of fairness' with transgender inclusion in women's sports

California Gov. Gavin Newsom came nether occurrence Thursday implicit comments helium made astir transgender inclusion successful women’s and girls sports connected the debut occurrence of his podcast.

Newsom was asked by impermanent Charlie Kirk, a salient blimpish who founded Turning Point USA, astir the contented connected the "This is Gavin Newsom" podcast.

"The young antheral who's astir to triumph the authorities title successful the agelong leap successful pistillate sports, that shouldn't happen," Kirk said. "You, arsenic the governor, should measurement retired and accidental no. Would you bash thing similar that? Would you accidental nary men successful female sports?"

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks astatine a quality league successful Sacramento, Calif., March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

"I deliberation it’s an contented of fairness. I wholly hold with you connected that. It is an contented of fairness — it’s profoundly unfair," Newsom told Kirk. "I americium not wrestling with the fairness issue. I wholly hold with you."

Kirk further pressed Newsom connected whether helium would condemn the caller triumph of a transgender way jock with a much than 40-foot leap astatine Jurupa Valley High School successful Southern California. Newsom didn't straight code the triumph but said "it's a fairness issue."

"So, that's casual to telephone retired the unfairness of that," helium said. "There's besides a humility and a grace. … These mediocre radical are much apt to perpetrate suicide, person anxiousness and depression. And the mode that radical speech down to susceptible communities is an contented that I person a hard clip with arsenic well.

"So, some things I tin clasp successful my hand. How tin we code this contented with the benignant of decency that I think, you know, is inherent successful you but not ever expressed connected the issue?"

Newsom, who agreed the contented was thing the Democratic Party gets "crushed on," faced disapproval from conservatives and liberals for his comments.

While Newsom said helium agreed with Kirk connected determination being a "fairness" contented erstwhile it came to trans inclusion successful women’s sports, California has resisted President Donald Trump’s "No Men successful Women’s Sports" enforcement bid that bars biologic males from girls and women’s sports.

President Donald Trump signs an enforcement bid barring transgender pistillate athletes from competing successful women's oregon girls sporting events successful the East Room of the White House Feb. 5, 2025, successful Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said past period it would proceed to let transgender athletes to vie successful women’s and girls sports, citing authorities law.

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"The CIF provides students with the accidental to belong, connect, and vie successful education-based experiences successful compliance with California instrumentality [Education Code conception 221.5. (f)] which permits students to enactment successful schoolhouse programs and activities, including diversion teams and competitions, accordant with the student’s sex identity, irrespective of the sex listed connected the student’s records," a CIF connection said astatine the time.

Fox News Digital reacted retired to the CIF for its absorption to Newsom’s latest comments.

Riley Gaines, the erstwhile NCAA jock who hosts OutKick’s "Gaines for Girls" podcast and has championed fairness successful women’s sports, was among the conservatives who spoke out.

Prominent LGBTQ advocates besides took swipes astatine Newsom.

"Gavin Newsom knows that the trans younker successful sports contented is simply a ridiculous, rightwing propaganda effort. He knows this is powered by anti-trans hatred, not reason," Charlotte Clymer wrote connected X. "And yet, helium inactive chose to endorse attacks connected trans younker to bolster his nationalist illustration for a 2028 statesmanlike run.

"He chose to dainty trans younker arsenic disposable bargaining chips successful his effort to pander to anti-trans conservatives. He has decided that trans youth, 1 of the astir susceptible groups successful the country, are just game. And helium did truthful successful an interrogation with Charlie Kirk, who has spent his vocation dehumanizing trans radical for sport. It is hard to overstate however thoroughly cynical, self-serving, and cruel this is."

A demonstrator waves a trans pridefulness emblem during the Rise Up for Trans Youth rally against President Donald Trump's enforcement actions targeting transgender radical astatine Union Square successful New York Feb. 7, 2025. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

California Assemblymember Chris Ward and Sen. Caroline Menjivar besides released a associated statement. They are the seat and vice seat of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

"Sometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile successful Courage, sometimes not. We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks," they said, via KCRA-TV. "All students merit the world and wellness benefits of sports activity, and until Donald Trump began obsessing astir it, playing connected a squad accordant with one’s sex has not been a occupation since the modular was passed successful 2013."

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Earlier this week, Senate Democrats blocked the Protection of Women and Girls successful Sports Act from breaking a filibuster. The measure received 51 votes but needed 60 to wide a procedural hurdle.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

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