(LifeSiteNews) — As The New York Times reported earlier this month, the Democrats are still in disarray over how to deal with the fact that their transgender policies are wildly unpopular with voters — and, indeed, may have handed Donald Trump the presidency. Any Democrat planning to seek the presidency in 2028 must grapple with this question.
That, of course, means California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been desperately twisting in the wind in an attempt to find a way to make his extremist views seem relatable, or at least palatable.
In March, he interviewed conservative activist Charlie Kirk on his ambiguously named podcast “This is Gavin Newsom,” and he appeared to moderate his position on trans-identifying males in girls’ sports, calling it an issue of “fairness” and telling Kirk: “I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair.” He added that the issue is personal for him, because of his wife and daughters.
LGBT activists were furious, but they needn’t have worried. In July, Newsom refused to comply with the Trump administration’s directive that Title IX protections applied to female-only sports leagues.
Like other Democrats, Newsom is trapped between public opinion and his public statements affirming the transgender agenda as the great civil rights cause of our day. In a recent appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, the serpentine politician visibly writhed as he attempted to slither his way out of a direct question from Ryan. Ryan asked him if, according to his values, eight years old was too young for sex-change treatments.
“I mean, look … ” Newsom paused, stuttered, pivoted to the personal. “Now that I have a 9-year-old — just became 9 — come on, man. I get it. So those (questions) are legit. You know, it’s interesting. The issue of age … ”
Here he stopped and stuttered again. “I’m … as someone whose been so focused on equality, broadly, LGBT rights, particularly on gay marriage, the trans issue for me is also novel. It’s over the last few years. I’m trying to understand as much as anyone else. The whole pronoun thing — trying to understand all of that. That was like — what the hell? All that stuff. I get it.” His Cheshire smile quivered, but the point was clear: He could not condemn sex changes for children.
Gavin Newsom can’t answer if he thinks 8-year-olds should get s*x change surgery.
This is really simple.
Kids can’t be born in the wrong body. Kids can’t become trans. Kids shouldn’t have their body parts chopped off.pic.twitter.com/apmkD3bhxJ
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 14, 2025
Of course he can’t. Newsom’s record of legislating the transgender agenda is virtually second to none in America. To recap:
- On July 14, 2024, he signed AB 1955, which prohibits school districts from enacting policies that require parents to notify parents if their children identify as transgender or change their names or pronouns in school — or even use opposite-sex facilities. It also shields teachers from consequences for facilitating social transition without parental knowledge.
- On September 23, 2023, Newsom signed AB 223, which requires courts to keep petitions by minors to change their sex identifier private.
- On September 26, 2020, Newsom signed SB 123, which requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to send trans-identifying inmates to the prison of their choice.
- On September 29, 2022, Newsom signed SB 107, the “transgender sanctuary law, which turned California into a “refuge” for trans-identifying children and their families and bars medical professionals from releasing medical information in response to out-of-state subpoenas from state where such procedures are banned (often from one of the child’s parents).
- On September 29, 2022, Newsom signed SB 923, which requires healthcare providers to receive training on “gender-affirming care.”
- On September 23, 2023, Newsom signed AB 5, which set timelines for mandatory “LGBTQ+ cultural competency training” for public school teachers and staff.
- On September 23, 2023, Newsom signed SB 857, which established an advisory task force to “the needs of LGBTQ+ pupils statewide and assist in implementing supportive initiatives, with a focus on transgender and gender-nonconforming students.”
Newsom desperately wants to find a way to make his extremist record seem like the actions of a thoughtful guy who is just “figuring it out” — but he has been a storm trooper for the transgender movement, and his pretense of grappling with these issues is a joke. His reaction to Ryan’s question reveals his awareness that his record on transgender issues may be his Achilles heel with Middle America, and conservatives should hang it around his neck every chance they get.
