California schools and families impacted by transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports are criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom for what they argue is a weak and unfair stance on the issue, according to Fox News. Newsom acknowledged in a recent podcast that transgender athletes competing with girls is “unfair,” but defended allowing it due to concerns about the mental health of transgender individuals.
“It’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said of transgender athletes competing with girls. “There’s also a humility and a grace. … These poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression. And the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well.”
“So, both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think, you know, is inherent in you but not always expressed on the issue?”
Several individuals and groups affected by California’s policies have responded to Newsom’s comments. Stone Ridge Christian School, which forfeited a volleyball game due to a transgender athlete on the opposing team, stated that Newsom is still letting males compete in women’s sports despite admitting it’s unfair, which is especially concerning for religious schools.
Cynthia Slavin, the mother of a girl who filed a lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District over a transgender athlete on the cross-country team, argued that Newsom is “marginalizing” young biological females by not taking action.
“I’m thankful Gavin Newsom said having boys in girls sports is unfair. I’m thankful he too has empathy for all people, but that just is not enough. What’s truly unfair is that he has the power to do something about this issue but doesn’t. Talk is cheap. Take action, do something,” Slavin said, according to Fox News.
Jaspriya Singh, a former JUVHS athlete and sister to a current athlete on the girls cross-country team, argues that forcing girls to compete against biological males creates an unfair playing field “that undermines her hard work and opportunities.”
An anonymous teacher from the Jurupa Unified School District expressed skepticism about Newsom’s change of stance. “As a teacher in Southern California, I don’t believe or trust Gavin Newsom’s sudden change of stance on transgender athletes in girls sports,” the teacher said. “For years, he has championed policies that force schools to comply with inclusion rules, disregarding the concerns of female athletes, parents and educators. Now, in a conversation with Charlie Kirk, he’s claiming to see the unfairness in this?”
The teacher added that it is difficult to take his comments seriously when “his policies still allow and enforce the very thing he’s now questioning. If he truly cared about fairness in sports, he would take real action, not just shift his rhetoric when it’s politically convenient.”
According to Fox News, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for potential Title IX violations. The CIF maintains that it complies with California law, which permits students to participate in school programs consistent with their gender identity.