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California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates after his press office used Grindr as a punchline in posts targeting conservative commentator Benny Johnson—the latest controversy for the governor, who is widely seen as positioning himself for a potential 2028 presidential run.
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The backlash comes amid broader unease among LGBTQ+ leaders over Newsom’s recent comments urging Democrats to be more “culturally normal” and to spend less time on “pronouns” and “identity politics,” remarks critics say echo language historically used to marginalize LGBTQ+ people.
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What happened
The controversy stems from a series of social media posts by Newsom’s press office during an ongoing dispute with Johnson.
In January, after Johnson said he planned to travel to California to investigate alleged fraud, Newsom’s office responded, “We’ll make sure Grindr servers are ready…”
The exchange escalated again last week, when Newsom’s office replied to a post about Johnson’s television appearance: “We got a call from Grindr after this and said your team was their biggest users. Congrats!”
The March posts renewed attention on earlier messaging. In August, Newsom’s press office had also replied to a conservative rapper, writing, “bro, we get it but he’s not interested… stick to Grindr.”
The posts circulated widely.
Why critics say it matters
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Related: Katie Couric confronts Gavin Newsom on his shifting views on transgender youth
For many LGBTQ+ observers, the issue is not intent but impact.
If being on Grindr is the punchline, critics argue, the joke depends on the premise that being gay is something embarrassing or shameful—reinforcing stigma at a time when LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender Americans, are at the center of national political fights.
Writers at Them argued that using Grindr references this way amounts to “calling people gay as an insult,” something they noted is “still bad no matter who says it.”
The criticism is sharpened by Newsom’s history. As mayor of San Francisco, he issued thousands of same-sex marriage licenses in 2004, helping catalyze the national movement that culminated in Obergefell v. Hodges. For critics, that legacy now sits in uneasy tension with rhetoric they see as echoing older, stigmatizing tropes.
Related: Gov. Gavin Newsom faces backlash over comments he made about transgender student athletes
Related: California Gov. Newsom is considering a presidential run. Here's his LGBTQ+ rights record
In a recent interview with journalist Katie Couric, Newsom was pressed on criticism from transgender advocates who feel he is “throwing trans people under the bus” and treating them as a political liability. Newsom rejected that characterization, pointing to what he described as a record of signing some of the most expansive transgender rights laws in the country, while also reiterating concerns about fairness in competitive sports.
The exchange followed criticism from California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus over his remarks about “cultural normalcy” and pronouns.
