by Jonathon Van Maren of LifeSite, edited by the El Reportero staffe
California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to appear like a man of nuance and balance. He wants voters — especially those outside the Golden State — to see him as a thoughtful progressive who listens, adapts, and leads with empathy. But when it comes to the transgender issue, particularly involving children, the governor’s act is becoming harder to maintain. The facts simply don’t support the performance.
Earlier this month, The New York Times acknowledged the obvious: Democratic leaders are in disarray over how to handle an issue that is wildly unpopular with voters — the party’s unwavering support for extreme transgender policies. That very stance may have helped swing key votes toward Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. For any Democrat with presidential ambitions in 2028, this is no small matter.
Newsom knows this well. That’s why he’s trying — awkwardly — to soften his image. In March, he sat down with conservative activist Charlie Kirk on his podcast This is Gavin Newsom and sounded like a concerned father. On the issue of biological males competing in girls’ sports, he told Kirk, “I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair.” He cited his wife and daughters, and the importance of protecting women’s spaces.
Predictably, LGBT activists were outraged. But they needn’t have been. Newsom’s record remains one of the most aggressive in America in pushing the transgender agenda — especially onto children.
Last week, he was confronted more directly. Appearing on The Shawn Ryan Show, Newsom was asked whether, in his view, eight years old is too young for sex-change treatments. His response was painful to watch. He stammered, meandered, brought up his own 9-year-old child, and admitted that even he was still trying to “understand all of that” — the pronouns, the procedures, the cultural shift.
It was a revealing moment. Not because Newsom was honest, but because he was evasive. A man who has signed bill after bill making California a legal sanctuary for child sex changes could not bring himself to say that eight years old is too young for gender-altering interventions.
But his legislative record speaks louder than his podcast. Consider just a few of the laws he’s championed:
- In July 2024, he signed AB 1955, which prohibits school districts from notifying parents if their child identifies as transgender at school. Teachers are even protected if they socially transition children without informing families.
- In September 2023, he signed AB 223, mandating secrecy for minors who petition to change their legal sex markers.
- In September 2022, he approved SB 107, effectively making California a “trans sanctuary state.” The law prohibits state officials from cooperating with other states seeking to protect children from sterilizing surgeries or hormone treatments.
- The same year, he also signed SB 923, requiring healthcare providers to undergo “gender-affirming care” training.
- In 2023, he signed AB 5, forcing LGBTQ+ cultural training on public school teachers, and SB 857, creating a state task force to promote transgender policies in schools.
- And back in 2020, he approved SB 123, allowing trans-identifying inmates to choose their prison based on their gender identity.
Taken together, these laws build a wall of protection — not around children, but around an ideology. Parents are sidelined. Doctors are muzzled. Teachers are deputized. And minors are given the tools and legal cover to pursue life-altering changes in secret.
So when Newsom tries to sound hesitant, confused, or open-minded on these issues, it rings hollow. He has already acted — aggressively, and repeatedly — to enshrine the most radical elements of gender ideology into law.
Why the sudden squirming on camera? Because Gavin Newsom knows that what plays well in progressive enclaves might not survive a general election. He knows that Middle America — and much of California — is not on board with secret sex changes for children, or with stripping parents of their right to be involved in the most personal aspects of their kids’ lives.
That’s why he dodged Shawn Ryan’s question. That’s why he tries to sound like he’s “still learning.” Because he knows the truth: His record is indefensible to the vast majority of voters. And it may well be his undoing.
If conservatives are smart, they will remind voters of that record at every opportunity. Let Gavin Newsom run from his legacy. But don’t let him hide it.
