As Democrats scramble to find a new identity during a second Trump administration, California Gov. Gavin Newsom changed his tune on the issue of trans people competing in women’s sports.
Newsom invited conservative activist Charlie Kirk onto his new podcast called “This is Gavin Newsom.” What was branded as an honest conversation between two sides of the political spectrum turned into Newsom taking a backseat while Kirk advocated for far-right ideologies.
Newsom asked Kirk for advice on how to respond to the Trump administration’s policies. Kirk said Newsom should denounce trans people competing in women’s sports — a stance conservatives have consistently taken and LGBTQ advocates have argued is harmful for trans youth.
But a constructive debate didn’t ensue.
“I completely agree with you on that, it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said.
He then said the situation should be handled with more “humility and grace” and addressed with “decency,” disagreeing with how some conservative leaders have reacted to the issue.
California law allows trans athletes to compete on school teams that align with their gender identity.
While LGBTQ advocates like the Human Rights Campaign denounced Newsom’s statement, prominent Democratic leaders took a more neutral stance. Democrats like Sen. Chris Murphy and Sen. Gary Peters said these decisions should be left up to local governments.
Minutes after Newsom made that comment, he asserted: “I’ve been a leader in the LGBTQ spaces … I take a backseat to no one.”
But Newsom largely took a backseat during the 90-minute conversation, consistently agreeing with and laughing off direct criticism from Kirk.
Kirk targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and criticized corporate racial justice efforts following George Floyd’s death in 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police.
No debate ensued.
While Newsom sometimes questioned Kirk’s statements, he rarely asserted counters of his own. He frequently muttered affirming statements under his breath while Kirk attacked Democrats and marginalized communities, such as “I appreciate it,” “that’s interesting” and “I agree.”
Kirk went on to attack California’s public school system and said Newsom should convene a special session to assert there will be “no more race-based teaching against white people.”
No debate ensued.
Newsom stumbled on his words and expressed confusion about what race-related teachings are happening in schools.
“I gotta get back in the classroom … I have the largest school system on the planet, but [there’s] no excuse because these things are important,” Newsom said. “It's the reason we are having this conversation, this is very illuminating.”
At the end of the podcast, Kirk circled back to the subject of trans people and called for the end of the “chemical castration of our kids.”
“The trans stuff is an affront to all of our senses, it’s out of control,” Kirk said. Newsom muttered affirmations like “yeah” and “right” as Kirk talked.
“I’m not an expert in this but I appreciate your broader…” Newsom said without finishing his sentence.
People under 18-years-old rarely receive gender-affirming surgeries, and those who do have been diagnosed with severe gender dysphoria and their treatments are life-saving, according to a 2024 Harvard study. The study also shows that surgeries such as breast-reduction are utilized more on cisgender males than transgender people.
It’s unclear whether Newsom’s comments will spark a change in state laws, but it marks an unexpected turn from Democratic values on LGBTQ rights.
