Gallego says concerns about trans athletes are ‘legitimate'
Sen. Ruben Gallego called parental concerns about trans athletes competing in some sports 'legitimate,' a rare deviation within the Democratic Party on an issue that has become a flash point for Republican attacks.
'As a parent of a daughter, I think it's legitimate that parents are worried about the safety of their daughters, and I think it's legitimate for us to be worried also about fair competition. And I think the parents of these trans children also are worried legitimately about the health and wellness of their kids,' Gallego said in an interview with The Dispatch published on Thursday.
The Arizona Democrat went on to say that the decision on whether and how to impose biological separations in 'some' school sports should ultimately be left to 'local institutions,' a rare push to send the decision back to the states rather than codifying federal protections under the umbrellas of gender identity and sexual orientation, which Democrats in Congress have pushed for in recent years.
Still, Gallego said transgender children must be treated with a spirit of openness — just not in all athletics: 'Hey, listen, we love you. We want you to be part of our community, but this is just the one place you can't play, and let's find other activities for you to be involved,' he said.
Gallego isn't the first Democrat to suggest that trans athletes shouldn't be playing in sports.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom — who had once been such a staunch LGBTQ+ ally that he granted marriage licenses to gay couples as San Francisco mayor in defiance of state law — made waves in March after breaking with his party on the issue, saying allowing trans women to compete in women's sports was 'deeply unfair.'
The early signs of a fissure among Democrats on the issue come amid a broader reckoning within the party over what direction to take under the new Trump administration. Republicans have used Democratic support for issues such as trans athletes' participation in women's sports to paint the opposing party as rabid leftists.
Some Democrats have reiterated their support for trans people's inclusion in sports and broader American life, but a few prominent party members have suggested that the Democrats' approach thus far had failed to win them Americans' confidence.
After President Donald Trump's victory in November, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) implied that part of the Democrats' failure stemmed from their overwhelming concern to 'not offend anyone.'
'Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,' Moulton told The New York Times on the heels of Kamala Harris' defeat. 'I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that.'
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