SACRAMENTO, California — Most Californians think transgender athletes should be required to play on sports teams matching their sex assigned at birth, rather than their gender identity.
Sixty-five percent of the state’s likely voters — and nearly half of Democrats — support such rules, according to a poll released Thursday by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
The findings shed light on the motivations of Democratic politicians like Gov. Gavin Newsom who, even in deep blue California, have broken ranks with many in their party to express their discomfort with trans girls and women competing on sports teams matching their gender identity.
“The big finding there is a Democrat split on the issue, which was kind of interesting in light of some of the discussions that have been occurring amongst Democrats on the topic,” said PPIC survey director Mark Baldassare.
The issue exploded in California since Newsom said on his podcast that trans girls participating in girls’ sports is “deeply unfair” — though he later said his choice to say that was not part of “some grand design.”
San Jose’s moderate Democratic mayor Matt Mahan in a recent interview bemoaned the way trans athletes have become a political “punching bag,” but also expressed concerns.
“My daughter is now a soccer player. I have some discomfort with the idea that she might be competing against biological males,” Mahan told POLITICO. “I get the discomfort and why this is an issue that people are worried about. I do think there’s a real question there, and I don’t have a great answer for it.”
Democratic state legislators have not followed their lead. Assembly Democrats did give two Republican bills banning trans women from women’s sports a hearing, but shot both of them down. Next week, a state Senate panel is expected to reject a similar proposal.