(LifeSiteNews) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has long been rumored to be gearing up for a presidential run in 2028. Betting markets almost universally have him as the likeliest of possible contenders to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination.
One issue that will likely be used against Democrats in 2028 – depending on how well or how bad they do in the 2026 midterms – is the topic of transgenderism.
After President Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris last year, the administration wasted no time clamping down on pro-LGBT policies. Among other things, Trump not only issued executive orders declaring there to be two genders – male and female – he went after the state of Maine for refusing to comply with his decree.
But California has been dragging its heels. A male high school athlete named “AB Hernandez” has been allowed to continue to compete for Jurupa Valley for its female track and field and volleyball teams. Nearly a dozen schools forfeited to Jurupa Valley this year in protest of Hernandez’s inclusion.
Trump himself published multiple social media posts denouncing Hernandez’s participation. “California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’” he exclaimed on Truth Social in May.
One month later, Trump’s DOJ filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) citing their failure to comply with federal law. Under Title IX, males are not allowed to compete on women’s sports teams, or use their locker rooms, bathrooms, and other sex-segregated areas.
Perhaps sensing that the cultural winds were blowing a different direction, Harris said in her book that “I agree with the concerns expressed by parents and players that we have to take into account biological factors such as muscle mass and unfair athletic advantage when we determine who plays on which teams, especially in contact sports.”
Newsom also did a course correction. “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,” he told the late conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during a podcast in March.
Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi pounced on the opportunity to score some political points. “The Governor of California has previously admitted that it is ‘deeply unfair’ to force women and girls to compete with men and boys in competitive sports,” she said in a news release. “But not only is it ‘deeply unfair,’ it is also illegal under federal law. This Department of Justice will continue its fight to protect equal opportunities for women and girls in sports.”
Now it seems Newsom is back to touting his LGBT credentials. During a recent interview with liberal New York Times contributor Ezra Klein, Newsom admitted that allowing males to compete with girls is something that “no one wants to hear about” but he still wants to be a champion of gender-confused Americans.
“I want to see trans kids. I have a trans godson. There’s no governor that’s done more pro-trans legislation than I have. And no one has been a stronger advice for the LGBT community,” he said.
And he is right to say that. During his time as governor, Newsom, a self-professed Catholic, has signed multiple pieces of legislation promoting their agenda. AB 727, for instance, requires contact information for the radical pro-LGBT Trevor Project Suicide Hotline to be put on public-school student ID cards. Assembly Bill 1084 speeds up the legal process for minors who want to change their name. In 2022, Newsom made California the country’s first “sanctuary” state for gender-confused children while approving the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, which requires public schools to have free menstrual products in at least one male bathroom. For good reason The American Spectator published in 2023 an article under the title, “Will Gavin Newsom Renounce His Catholicism?”
And so as the new year draws to a close, it will be interesting to see how Newsom and other 2028 likely contenders pivot on LGBT issues. Will they jettison their previous support for trans athletes competing against girls and continue to promote other issues far-left groups want like surgeries for minors or will they double down on all of it as Kamala Harris did in 2024 and risk being thumped at the ballot box? We will likely have an answer to that question the day after the midterm elections next November. Stay tuned.