this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2025
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Democrats playing footsy with fascist Charlie Kirk over hating trans people. This is the party that's supposed to be the great defenders of LGBT people?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights who decades ago upset leaders in his own party when he defied state law and issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples, suggested Democrats were in the wrong in allowing transgender athletes to participate in female college and youth sports.

“I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said in his debut podcast episode of “This is Gavin Newsom.” “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”

Newsom’s comments on the issue roiling political debates nationwide came in a conversation with influential MAGA-world figure Charlie Kirk, the campus culture warrior who leads the organization Turning Point USA and is a close ally of President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr.

Newsom also agreed that the most politically destructive attack ads from Trump’s campaign featured Kamala Harris’ support for providing taxpayer-funded gender transition-related medical care for detained immigrants and federal prisoners.

“She didn’t even react to it, which was even more devastating,” Newsom said, suggesting upward of 90 percent of Americans disagreed with Harris’ position. “Then you had the video [of Harris] as a validator. Brutal,” Newsom added. “It was a great ad.”

Kirk challenged Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential hopeful, to speak out against AB Hernandez, a transgender high school track star from California whose triple jump event in the women’s competition is drawing fierce backlash from the right. Newsom said he has four children of his own — including two daughters — and noted that both he and his wife participated in college-level sports, she in soccer and he in baseball.

“I revere sports, so the issue of fairness is completely legit,” Newsom said. “And I saw that — the last couple years, boy did I [see] how you guys were able to weaponize that issue at another level.”

Kirk challenged Newsom over his use of the word “weaponize,” and Newsom replaced it with “highlight.”

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[–] TomMasz@lemmy.world 30 points 4 months ago

Democrats have mostly decided that moving further to the right is the way to go. That it didn't help them in the 2024 election doesn't seem to matter. At some point, I hope the few who have kept their values intact start their own party.

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 27 points 4 months ago

Gavin Newsome wants to be the savior of the DNC and to ride the wave of anti-Trump sentiment to become a popular and beloved leader. But he's a monster with strangely close ties to the Trump family via his ex-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle, Don Jr.'s girlfriend.

Newsome can't be trusted and it's nice to see he's showing why by speaking his mind. He was shitty as a mayor and is reactionary as a governor.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 26 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] AWistfulNihilist@lemmy.world 25 points 4 months ago

Right? It's an odd way to say "embraces the party abandonment of the politically unpopular people."

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 22 points 4 months ago

Ladies and gentlemen the "new" direction of the Democrats.

Excuse me while I go puke.

[–] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 4 months ago

Frankly the question of transgender women in sports should be answered by those in the women's sports associations and their players. Anyone else is simply not invested enough to have a fair perspective on the matter. Let's be honest here, how many people even watch women's sports to begin with? Still, it sucks Newsom sounded off like this.

[–] K1nsey6@lemmy.ml 15 points 4 months ago (2 children)

As goes California, so goes the nation. Liberals have been taking baby steps for years now to slowly shove us back into the closets.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It's how incrementalism actually works.

[–] K1nsey6@lemmy.ml 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

A steadfast march to the right, incremental fascism

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 months ago

Goddam liberals.

[–] FMT99@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago (4 children)

On the one hand, we absolutely shouldn't abandon minorities just because it's politically advantageous. On the other hand, trans sports is one of those issues where there's legitimate debate to be had. And it's an issue greedily grabbed on to by conservatives as a cudgel to silence ALL requests for trans rights. Is this one issue, even if it is unfair, the hill we want to die on?

To be clear, on these more complicated issues it's important not to give up the long term fight. But by fighting with an "all or nothing" mentality, it seems we are ending up with nothing.

[–] Carrolade@lemmy.world 22 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I think it's important to remember that it's not a decision for governments to make, but for sports governing bodies. The government has no need to or benefit from legislating how sports competitions are arranged.

[–] PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think it’s important to remember that it’s not a decision for governments to make

Not really true since things like Title IX exist.

[–] Carrolade@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Fair point. I suppose I would draw a distinction between education and athletics, though I know full well that is difficult to disentangle.

[–] FMT99@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

That's the best point made in this thread to be honest.

[–] GlacialTurtle@lemmy.ml 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

There is no legitimate debate. It's scaremongering.

But sure, "complicated issues" requires paling around with a fascist like Charlie Kirk and talking about how he's correct, backing down immediately when challenged on using "weaponize" to accurately describe conservative attacks on trans people and being asked to target and harass specific trans athletes based on nothing.

Just like "complicated issues" requires reaffirming conservative framing of immigration and adopting language about how immigrants are stealing welfare money and smuggling gangs requires further militarisation of borders and out of country processing of immigrants.

You're the useful idiot that the thin end of the wedge is for.

[–] FMT99@lemmy.world -2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Well that last line certainly makes you feel like you're being engaged in a good faith discussion.

[–] GlacialTurtle@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] FMT99@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago

Man I just can't understand why leftists aren't more popular.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

But by fighting with an “all or nothing” mentality, it seems we are ending up with nothing.

Since when have Democrats fought with an "all or nothing" mentality? They've been doing this "negotiate down before coming to the table" shit since at least Obama.

[–] FMT99@lemmy.world -4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I'm not talking about Democrats, I'm talking about progressives in general.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Right. You'd rather progressives be more like democrats and shirk every possible fight.

[–] FMT99@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yes that's exactly what I said. And let me add to that "my straw insides prevent me from actually moving my limbs which makes it easier for people to beat up on me." Touche.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Do tell, how does my characterization differ from your proposal?

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It's a foot in the door. Once we get banned from sports for not being "real women" it leads to more bans, like from bathrooms.

The problem with sports is they're inherently unfair. Singling out this one issue and ignoring all the other unfair aspects of sport only reinforces the basis for treating us differently.

Sports should be reformed. This isn't it.

[–] FMT99@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Agreed. The idea that sports can be 'fair' is ridiculous to begin with. On that point I'm deliberately not arguing in any direction because it's a complicated subject for which I (and by far most people I hear talking about it) am not factually equipped.

But right now, pushing on this issue when the base line issues (bathrooms?) aren't even addressed yet is causing more problems than good. Why do we think this is the right's favorite talking point?

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 months ago

Why do we think this is the right’s favorite talking point?

It's like I said, it's their foot in the door.

If trans women can't be allowed in women's sports (we're too big, or too strong, or to aggressive, or whatever other lie), the same logic leads directly to banning us from bathrooms and locker rooms and other women's spaces. These issues are intertwined, they can use sport as a wedge to split the coalition.

Critiquing the concept of fair sports undercuts the ability for the right to use this issue in the first place. By giving ground here, it only cedes further ground and opens us to attack.

The right attacks this wedge issue because liberals don't have a critique of sports, because they're fucking cowards that wouldn't dare criticize the US civic religion.

[–] chetradley@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There's an interesting and nuanced conversation to be had about fairness in sports. Many athletic associations have guidelines in place that allow trans athletes to compete in a way that is as fair as possible to them and other competitors. Are they all perfect? Probably not, but having this conversation in the first place is the best way to ensure these associations can make competition as fair as possible to trans and cis athletes alike.

But of course this conversation will never take place, because the goal was never to make women's sports more fair. It's always been about trans erasure.

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

The easy solution is to get the government (including schools) out of sports entirely. Make them independent clubs, and they can set their own rules.

Schools are too focused on their sports programs anyway.