Inside California Democrats' Intra-party Feud Over Trans Rights

SACRAMENTO, California — Senior officials in Gavin Newsom’s administration discouraged Democrats from introducing transgender rights legislation weeks before the governor publicly split with his party on trans athletes, three people with direct knowledge of the talks told POLITICO.

But members of the Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus ignored the direction and proposed a package of bills dealing with the topic anyway.

The push from Nathan Barankin, Newsom’s chief of staff, and Legislative Affairs Secretary Christine Aurre in a private January meeting illustrates the administration’s sensitivity to politically incendiary trans issues and mounting concern about them possibly reaching the governor’s desk. Newsom is among the nation’s best-known Democrats and widely viewed as a likely contender for president in 2028.

Newsom aides also sent similar messages ahead of last year’s election.

The caucus’ growing frustration with the governor burst out into the open Thursday after Newsom said on his new podcast that trans women and girls participating on athletics teams matching their gender identity is “deeply unfair.”

“We woke up profoundly disappointed and sickened, when you have someone who has been thoughtful and has been a very unwavering ally release a statement like that,” said Caucus Chair Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat. “This is playing into a lot of the conversation that Donald Trump is obsessing about in order to distract us.”

Newsom’s office declined to comment on the meeting.

“We continue to have productive conversations with the LGBTQ Caucus — including on legislation supporting transgender Californians,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said. “We value the collaborative, open partnership we have with the Caucus."

Newsom has delivered wins to LGBTQ+ rights advocates in the past, signing a bill that outlawed requirements that school staff alert parents when their child shows signs of being transgender at school. He strongly defended that bill in the podcast interview.

As mayor of San Francisco, Newsom famously defied state and federal law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

But he has also enraged LGBTQ Caucus members, particularly when he vetoed legislation that would have required judges to consider children’s gender identity in custody disputes.

“We are profoundly disappointed and angered by Governor Newsom’s comments about transgender youth and their ability to participate in sports,” Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang, whose group works closely with the caucus, said in a statement. “Instead of standing strong, the governor has added to the heartbreak and fear caused by the relentless barrage of hate from the Trump administration.”

Equality California endorsed Newsom in his first successful campaign for governor in 2018. At the time, the organization said Newsom was “always on the forefront of the fight to advance LGBTQ civil rights” and one of the community’s “most dedicated champions.”

Early this week, when the LGBTQ Caucus announced its priority bills for the year, Ward repeatedly emphasized that lawmakers “will exercise our co-equal role” in governing. “We are a co-equal branch, and we have our responsibilities to our community members to put their issues forward,” Ward said at a news conference on Wednesday.

While diplomatic, the comments could in hindsight be read as a public assertion of the caucus’ defiance of a governor who had sought to rein in its agenda.

The slate of Democratic proposals for the year do not touch on more politically explosive issues like youth athletics. They would speed up changes to names and gender markers on driver’s licenses and make confidential court records reflecting changes to a person’s name and gender identification.

Two Republican-authored bills would bar trans women and girls from participating in school sports matching their gender. But they don’t stand a chance in the Democratic-dominated Legislature.

Despite his comments, Newsom has not backed any policy changes. His previous public remarks as governor have generally been noncommittal on governance of sports participation — a dominant culture war issue.

“I got kids that are in sports, so I also understand there needs to be humility and grace,” Newsom told POLITICO in 2023, before drawing attention to scenarios “when a kid’s not standing there on stage because they feel like someone had an advantage, an unfair advantage.”

Jeremy B. White contributed to this report.

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