When Gov. Gavin Newsom threw the trans community under the bus last week, LGBTQ+ leaders in the state Legislature and statewide activist groups—many of them very politically moderate and cautious—were very quick to respond.
Newsom introduced his new podcast by inviting Charlie Kirk, a right-wing provocateur, to chat with him. It’s hard to understand why he would give this guy a platform—and then agree with him that trans women shouldn’t be allowed in college sports.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (by no means a progressive, and someone who once endorsed a transphobic candidate for School Board) immediately issued this:
Charlie Kirk is a vile bigot, and standing with him on this issue is profoundly disturbing.
Assemblymember Alex Lee, who represents part of the San Jose area (and is a solid progressive) said on Twitter:
WTF. Trans people and LGBTQ+ people are under attack. We don’t need our gov caving to conservative talking points that further hurt and scapegoat 1% of the population.
Equality California (a pretty mainstream, moderate group):
We are profoundly disappointed and angered by Governor Newsom’s comments about transgender youth and their ability to participate in sports. Transgender kids—like all kids—deserve the chance to play sports alongside their teammates and learn important values like leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Transgender young people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
But in San Francisco, among LGBTQ+ elected officials—and the mayor—the response was slower, more cautious, and in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s case, nonexistent. Nobody directly took on Newsom.
Lurie’s press spokesperson, Charles Kretchmer Lutvak, told me the mayor has made no statement on the issue.
When I texted the LGBTQ+ supes the evening of Newsom’s statement, none had issued their own response. On Friday, after my request for comment, I got several:
Joel Engardio:
I disagree with Governor Newsom’s comments. They are not helpful when transgender people need our supporters as they face increase attacks and discrimination. Politicizing this issue hurts all transgender people, whether they are athletes or not. Transgender people deserve to live their daily lives without fear and with dignity.
Matt Dorsey initially told me that “I saw some social media chatter on it but haven’t had time to hear what he actually said.” Friday on Twitter he responded:
I respectfully disagree with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s remarks about transgender participation in sports, and it think it’s a vitally important time for LGBTQ+ leaders and allied to not retreat from our commitment to inclusion for our transgender and gender non-conforming community.
Rafael Mandelman:
The Trump Administration is assaulting our laws and liberties on a daily basis. We need to be laser-focused on ensuring transgender Americans are safe, can access critical healthcare needs and are not held hostage by a federal government denying them passports. I wish the governor hadn’t made those comments.
I have not heard back from Jackie Fielder.
I know Gav is the gov, and I know we are all supposed to be “respectful” to potential Democratic Party candidates for president, but seriously: Doing a podcast with a hard-core MAGA bigot and agreeing with him on trans rights seems far beyond the point where it’s okay to say “I respectfully disagree” or “I wish he hadn’t made those comments.”
Former state Assemblymember Tom Ammiano told me he thought the local response was far too cautious. “If I was a transgender person, I would say their comments brought no comfort,” he told me.
Weird world when Scott Wiener is making our local folks look too moderate.
