--- title: "Newsom says transgender girls in sports is 'deeply unfair'" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/newsom-says-transgender-girls-in-sports-is-deeply-unfair" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/newsom-says-transgender-girls-in-sports-is-deeply-unfair" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/newsom-says-transgender-girls-in-sports-is-deeply-unfair.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/newsom-says-transgender-girls-in-sports-is-deeply-unfair" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-14T13:05:17.425Z" source_reported: "2026-09-14T12:45:52.000Z" updated: "2026-09-14T14:45:17.491Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 61 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-14T14:37:45.757Z" --- # Newsom says transgender girls in sports is 'deeply unfair' *California governor joins growing number of Democrats distancing themselves from party's transgender policy stances.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports and 19 digests corroborate the central claims, with specific quotes from Gavin Newsom. - Craft 61 of 100, higher is better. The reporting clearly separates fact from comment and includes quotes from affected individuals and responsible bodies. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. The headline promises a shift in approach, which is supported by the reporting on Democratic leaders' statements. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - California Governor Gavin Newsom stated it is "deeply unfair" for transgender girls to compete against cisgender girls in sports. - Newsom told The Associated Press he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. - An increasing number of Democratic leaders are distancing themselves from their party's support for transgender policy priorities. - Republicans have used attacks on Democrats regarding transgender athletes as a potent political weapon. California Governor Gavin Newsom has stated that it is "deeply unfair" for individuals assigned male at birth to compete against girls in sports. Newsom told The Associated Press that he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. He acknowledged this position puts him at odds with his party on the issue, but stated he would be lying if he said differently. Newsom's comments reflect a broader trend within the Democratic party, where an increasing number of leaders are distancing themselves from unwavering support for transgender policy priorities, such as allowing athletes to compete on teams matching their gender identity. This shift follows years of conservative attacks against Democrats on the issue, which Republicans have used as a potent political weapon. A political group backed by Elon Musk has run digital ads targeting Democrats in key Senate races, accusing them of allowing men to compete in women's sports. ## Disagreement on fairness California Governor Gavin Newsom stated it is "deeply unfair" for people assigned male at birth to compete against girls in sports, telling The Associated Press he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. The reports do not contain any other statements from Newsom or other figures on how to define or achieve fairness in this context. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific phrase "God is nonbinary" used in an advertisement by Elon Musk's America PAC, as reported by ABC News and WPLG. None of the reports mentioned James Talarico's statement that "I’ve missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it." ## Who covered it Shares of the 25 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 44% (11) - Centre: 48% (12) - Right: 8% (2) 6 of 31 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-14T14:37:45.757Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-14T14:45:17.491Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Six left-rated reports carried the story. All six digests stated that an increasing number of Democratic leaders are pushing back against their party’s support for the transgender community. Five of the six digests noted that this shift follows years of Republican-backed attacks against Democrats on the issue of transgender athletes. The full reports from ABC News and The Toronto Star stated that California Governor Gavin Newsom does not like being on Donald Trump's side on any issue, but agrees with him on transgender girls and women in sports. ABC News's full report also included a quote from Newsom stating it is "deeply unfair" for people assigned male at birth to compete against girls and that he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. This report also detailed how Republicans are using the issue as a political weapon, citing ads targeting specific Democratic candidates and mentioning Elon Musk's political group running digital ads. It also noted that while most Democratic officials remain steadfast supporters, an increasing number are distancing themselves from policy priorities like allowing athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity. The report included poll data from Quinnipiac University and Pew Research Center showing division among voters and Democrats on the issue. It also mentioned specific Democratic politicians like James Talarico, Rob Sand, and Amy Acton, and contrasted Senator Ed Markey's stance with that of Representative Seth Moulton in Massachusetts. ### Centre - Twelve centre-rated reports carried the story. All twelve digests stated that California Governor Gavin Newsom does not like being on Donald Trump's side on any issue, but agrees with him on transgender girls and women in sports. Eleven of the twelve digests stated that Newsom believes it is "deeply unfair" for people assigned male at birth to compete against girls. Ten of the twelve digests stated that Newsom told The Associated Press he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. All twelve digests mentioned that an increasing number of Democratic leaders are distancing themselves from their party’s unflinching support for the transgender community. Eleven of the twelve digests noted that this shift comes after years of Republican-backed attacks against Democrats on the issue of transgender athletes. Nine of the twelve digests stated that Republicans have used attacks on Democrats regarding transgender athletes as a potent political weapon. Six of the twelve digests mentioned that a political group backed by Elon Musk has run digital ads targeting Democrats in key Senate races, accusing them of allowing men to compete in women's sports. The full reports from WPLG and KTBS stated that California Governor Gavin Newsom believes it is "deeply unfair" for people who are assigned male at birth to compete against girls. Both full reports also stated that Newsom told The Associated Press he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. These reports also noted that an increasing number of Democratic leaders are distancing themselves from their party’s unflinching support for the transgender community’s policy priorities. They also stated that the shift follows years of conservative attacks against Democrats on the divisive issue, which has emerged as one of Republicans' most potent political weapons. The reports included poll data from Quinnipiac University showing that about 7 in 10 registered voters think transgender women and girls should not be allowed to play on women’s and girls’ sports teams, and that Democrats are divided on the issue. They also mentioned specific Democratic politicians like James Talarico, Rob Sand, and Amy Acton, and contrasted Senator Ed Markey's stance with that of Representative Seth Moulton in Massachusetts. ### Right - regionalmedianews.com led on a narrative that Democratic officials are shifting their stance on transgender issues, noting that Governor Gavin Newsom said he largely concurs with the president’s view on school‑level sports involving transgender girls. Breitbart’s digest echoed this theme, describing a growing number of Democratic leaders pushing back against prior party support. - Neither right‑rated digest includes Newsom’s specific description of the policy as "deeply unfair," nor does either provide cost figures, testimonies from athletes, or reactions from advocacy groups. The digests also omit any reference to legislative proposals or broader national debate beyond the recalibration theme. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 17 - unknown: 7 - veryHigh: 6 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Los Angeles Times](https://latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-09-14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [regionalmedianews.com](https://regionalmedianews.com/news/national/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - Regional Media News - [Colorado Politics](https://coloradopolitics.com/2026/09/14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [My Mother Lode](https://mymotherlode.com/news/national/general-election/11138532/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Beckley Register-Herald](https://register-herald.com/apnewsflow/nation/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_ec7bf9e5-eee1-5fde-ab27-118fe12001db.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [pmg-ky3.com](https://pmg-ky3.com/ap/ap_sports/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_19f8dc0a-bf0c-559f-bb6b-866a2178ca2c.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [goSkagit](https://goskagit.com/news/politics/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_de345d16-9c9c-5ef2-aac8-3222c38d94d6.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Daily Record](https://dailyrecordnews.com/ap_news/us/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_bdcde61a-9587-5b3e-aff3-806bba00a952.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [union-bulletin.com](https://union-bulletin.com/news/national/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_036fe73b-781b-5d8a-a198-68f5926ea64d.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/some-democrats-recalibrating-transgender-issues-approach-as-they-seek-path-to-power) — Some Democrats recalibrating transgender issues approach as they seek path to power - [KTBS](https://ktbs.com/news/national/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_25e41716-4712-5518-84cf-698a06cc61a8.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power/article_e9ed8ae3-1ab9-5de7-a03a-6f24ec28c33d.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Medicine Hat News](https://medicinehatnews.com/sports/national-sports/2026/09/14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Loonie Politics](https://looniepolitics.com/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues - [Cecil Daily](https://cecildaily.com/ap/nation/sports/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_f0076ac3-cb4f-54d7-8e6e-c9f963bb7e7a.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Idaho Press](https://idahopress.com/ap_news/us/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_b20e62a4-86fc-58d3-85db-059dc08c8350.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Daily Journal](https://djournal.com/news/nation-world/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_af38d13f-c741-5622-9598-90d9700d2991.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [The Herald Journal](https://hjnews.com/nation/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_df7ecc30-d914-5fd6-b154-c30d3e04c9a1.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Leader-Telegram](https://leadertelegram.com/elections/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_4a90c40c-6a99-5e94-a7e0-6e13e37fe16a.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel](https://gjsentinel.com/sports/professional/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to/article_48dae968-68f2-5a99-8d6f-8e0e9895fe70.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/democrats-recalibrating-approach-transgender-issues-seek-path-power-136419101) — Some Democrats recalibrating transgender issues approach as they seek path to power - [WPLG](https://local10.com/news/politics/2026/09/14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/09/14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [News 4 JAX](https://news4jax.com/news/politics/2026/09/14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Bangor Daily News](https://bangordailynews.com/2026/09/14/nation/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [KXL](https://kxl.com/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/united-states/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power/article_16a9840d-c0b8-5d17-beb1-a1384dbde7c7.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [NiagaraFallsReview.ca](https://niagarafallsreview.ca/news/world/united-states/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power/article_fb3c53de-fbc8-5841-9def-bae7697e3491.html) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/09/14/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/news/some-democrats-are-recalibrating-their-approach-to-transgender-issues-as-they-seek-a-path-to-power) — Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power ## Questions **What did Gavin Newsom say about transgender athletes?** California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that it is "deeply unfair" for individuals assigned male at birth to compete against girls in sports. He also told The Associated Press that he has "not been able to figure out how to make it fair" from his perspective. **Why are Democrats changing their stance on transgender issues?** An increasing number of Democratic leaders are distancing themselves from their party's support for transgender policy priorities. This shift follows years of conservative attacks against Democrats on the issue, which Republicans have used as a potent political weapon. **What is the public opinion on transgender athletes in sports?** A June poll from Quinnipiac University found that about 7 in 10 registered voters think that transgender women and girls should not be allowed to play on women’s and girls’ sports teams. Democrats are divided on the issue, with about half saying transgender women and girls should be allowed and about half saying they should not. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/newsom-says-transgender-girls-in-sports-is-deeply-unfair. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Newsom says transgender girls in sports is 'deeply unfair'", https://mediabias.news/politics/newsom-says-transgender-girls-in-sports-is-deeply-unfair