Katie Couric confronts Gavin Newsom on his shifting views on transgender youth

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat often discussed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, defended his record on LGBTQ+ rights while drawing new scrutiny for his comments about transgender athletes during a pointed interview with veteran journalist Katie Couric on last Thursday’s episode of the podcast Next Question with Katie Couric.

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The exchange aimed a spotlight at a growing tension inside Democratic politics about how to confront a wave of conservative attacks targeting trans Americans while navigating an increasingly polarized political environment.

For decades, Democrats have positioned themselves as the party of inclusion, arguing that government should defend the equal rights of all people, including LGBTQ+ Americans. Republicans, meanwhile, have increasingly centered transgender issues in campaign messaging and legislation.

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Couric confronted Newsom with criticism from transgender advocates who say his recent rhetoric risks reinforcing those dynamics. “One of my followers who is trans feels as if you’re throwing trans people under the bus and that you see them as a political liability,” Couric told the governor.

Newsom rejected that claim, pointing to what he described as a long record supporting transgender rights in California. “He’s saying it to the person who’s promoted and signed more pro-trans legislation than any elected official in this country,” Newsom said.

He emphasized personal connections as well. “I have a trans godson,” he said, remarking that he signed what he described as “some of the most progressive trans legislation just nine months ago.”

Newsom has frequently pointed to California’s legislative record to defend those credentials. Since taking office in 2019, he has signed numerous measures expanding protections for LGBTQ+ residents, including laws easing the process for legal name and gender marker changes, requiring universities to provide LGBTQ-specific suicide prevention resources, and strengthening privacy protections around gender-affirming care. California has also enacted policies designed to protect transgender students and families seeking gender-affirming treatment.

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In recent legislative sessions, Newsom has signed a number of bills strengthening LGBTQ+ protections, including measures banning forced outing of LGBTQ+ students in schools, which the U.S. Supreme Court put a pause on recently, and expanding privacy protections around gender-affirming care, while vetoing other proposals that advocates hoped would further expand access to gender-affirming treatment or HIV prevention medication.

But Newsom also reiterated a position that has drawn criticism from some LGBTQ+ advocates: his belief that questions of competitive fairness arise when transgender athletes compete in certain sports.

“I cannot back up an argument in favor, in a competitive environment for sports,” he said, referencing track competitions in California that he said sparked policy challenges. State officials, he added, have struggled to find a policy that satisfies all sides. “We just couldn’t figure out how to make this fair,” Newsom said.

The debate he referenced has become increasingly heated in California, where a handful of transgender high school athletes have found themselves at the center of national political fights. Some teens competing under the state’s inclusive policies have faced organized campaigns to bar them from competition, as well as lawsuits and protests backed by conservative groups seeking to overturn those policies.

For the students themselves, the attention has been overwhelming and motivating. One California transgender athlete told the Los Angeles Times that continuing to compete feels like an act of resistance: “If I stop doing sports, they won.”

Couric noted that trans athletes are uncommon. “These incidents are pretty rare — extremely rare,” she said, asking whether the topic is consuming disproportionate attention in national politics.

Newsom agreed that the number of athletes involved is small but argued that the political consequences are significant. “Never has more focus been attended to so few people,” he said, criticizing conservative politicians for what he described as scapegoating transgender Americans. “It’s disgraceful what these guys do and what they’ve done to the trans community,” he added, pointing to legislation restricting gender-affirming care and other rights.

Related: Gov. Gavin Newsom again under fire for comments on trans athletes & pronouns

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The exchange comes amid a broader debate within Democratic politics about how the party should talk about LGBTQ+ issues in a volatile political environment. Last August, a centrist Democratic consulting group advised candidates to avoid certain terms commonly used in LGBTQ+ advocacy, including “LGBTQIA” and “cisgender,” arguing that the language can sound alienating to some voters.

The guidance drew swift backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and many Democrats, who warned that abandoning the language of marginalized communities risks reinforcing the very political strategy Republicans are pursuing.

Newsom has recently urged Democrats to spend less time debating pronouns and identity politics and more time emphasizing economic concerns, saying they should be more “culturally normal.” Those remarks drew criticism from members of California’s Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus and other LGBTQ+ leaders.

Related: Why transgender people are not feeling Gavin Newsom

During the Couric interview, the governor argued that acknowledging difficult policy debates does not undermine broader commitments to equality.

“That’s the one area I disagree,” he said of competitive sports. “But that’s not throwing the community under the bus.” Newsom’s national reputation began in 2004, when, as San Francisco’s mayor, he authorized marriage licenses for same-sex couples, years before marriage equality became federal law.

The conversation also briefly touched on Newsom’s public image. Couric noted that critics sometimes describe the well-dressed, quick-talking politician as “slick,” a label often used by opponents who argue that his political positions evolve with shifting public opinion. Newsom brushed off the characterization.

“You don’t have to like me. Or maybe you like a slick person. I don’t know. Whatever. It’s okay,” he said.

Watch Katie Couric’s interview with Gov. Gavin Newsom below.

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