LGBTQ+ Group Blasts Gavin Newsom for Abandoning Trans Athletes

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for abandoning transgender athletes earlier this week in an interview with conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Newsom launched a podcast last year, and recently revamped it, saying that he wanted to interview people in the MAGA movement. (Newsom’s office has repeatedly refused requests for interviews with, or of, Breitbart News.)

The publicity stunt is apparent meant to burnish Newsom’s bipartisan credentials ahead of a possible run for the presidency in 2028. But it backfired badly after Newsom, who built his career on LGBTQ causes, backtracked.

As Breitbart News reported:

When Kirk asked Newsom about his thoughts on trans athletes during the recent podcast, the gov. went in a surprising direction.

“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 exclaimed.

“I am not wrestling with the fairness issue,” Newsom added. “I totally agree with you. I revere sports. So, the issue of fairness is completely legit.”

The Human Rights Campaign had also endorsed Newsom for re-election in 2022, saying: “First as the Mayor of San Francisco and now as the Governor of California, he has been a tireless champion of equality for all Californians and a national leader in the fight to keep LGBTQ+ rights from being rolled back elsewhere.”

Now, however, the Human Rights Campaign is not impressed. As local ABC affiliate KABC-7 reported:

Newsom’s statement quickly spurred the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, to send a warning shot across Newsom’s bow in regard to a possible run for the presidency.

The group released a statement that reads in part, “The path to 2028 isn’t paved with the betrayal of vulnerable communities… it’s built on the courage to stand up for what’s right and do the hard work to actually help the American people.”

Literally weeks ago, California institutions defied the Trump administration’s ban on transgender athletes. The state, and the governor in particular, have also pushed back against local school districts that want parents to be notified if children express a desire to change genders. Newsom even signed legislation banning such notifications last year.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.