California Governor Newsom Breaks with Democrats, Calls Transgender Women in Female Sports 'Deeply Unfair'

California Governor Gavin Newsom sparked controversy on March 6, 2025, by breaking with his party's traditional stance on transgender athletes, declaring it "deeply unfair" for transgender women and girls to compete in female sports [1].

The comments came during the debut episode of Newsom's new podcast "This is Gavin Newsom," featuring conservative activist Charlie Kirk. "I think it's an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that," Newsom told Kirk. "It is an issue of fairness — it's deeply unfair" [1][2].

The NCAA recently changed its policy to restrict women's sporting events to athletes assigned female at birth, following pressure from the Trump administration. Previously, the organization maintained a sport-by-sport policy [2].

Polling data indicates broad public agreement with Newsom's position. According to a January 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll, approximately 70% of Democrats oppose allowing transgender female athletes to participate in women's sports [2].

The governor's stance contradicts existing California law, enacted before his term, which requires schools to allow transgender athletes to play on teams matching their gender identity [3].

LGBTQ advocates strongly criticized Newsom's comments. California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus leaders Chris Ward and Caroline Menjivar expressed being "profoundly sickened and frustrated" by the remarks [1].

Newsom attempted to balance his position, acknowledging the mental health challenges faced by transgender individuals. "These poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression... How can we address this issue with decency... while at the same time deal with the unfairness?" [1]