Newsom responds to questions on trans athletes after bills killed in California Assembly
revealing he opposes trans athletes competing in women's sports
.
Newsom arrived for an event at a fire training center at Modesto Junior College as burning questions remained about his revelation that the long-time LGBTQ+ supporter opposes trans athletes in women's sports.
This presser came a day after Democratic lawmakers
killed two bills that would have banned trans athletes from girls' and women's sports
.
"What's your response to that vote, and also, should there, from your position as governor, be a California state law that restricts trans athletes from playing in women's sports?" I asked Newsom.
"These kids just want to survive," Newsom responded. "And so the question you're asking is the question we've been asking ourselves for months and haven't been able to answer — What is that? How can you make this fair? And I haven't been able to figure it out."
Jorge Salinas is a spokesperson for Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. He said the organization is monitoring the governor's discussions.
"Our reaction to what he said at the press conference, to what he said on the podcast, is still a reaction of disappointment," Salinas said. "Our relationship continues to be a respectful one. We still believe that he is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community until we see otherwise in action."
Republican Assembly leader James Gallagher is calling for the governor to take action on his words.
"If this was a real priority for him — fairness for young women in the state — you think he might have been here and you think he might have made some calls," Gallagher said.
"To the extent someone can, and do it in a way that is respectful and responsible and can find a kind of balance, then I'm open to that discussion," Newsom said. "That said, this is not where all my energy flows."
Newsom was in Modesto to announce a Master Plan for Career Education, which aims to connect Californians "to high-paying, fulfilling careers, with or without a college degree."
The announcement included what is being called "career passports," which are digital tools combining academic records with verified experience from work like military service and training programs. The plan also invests in expanding credit for prior learning, allowing veterans and working Californians to turn real-world experience into college credit.
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