Barely a month after California governor Gavin Newsom said that allowing transgender athletes – biological men who identify as women – to participate in women’s sports was deeply unfair, Democrats have steered the state in the opposite direction.
On March 22, California Assembly Democrats voted unanimously to block the hearing of “AB 844: Educational equity: sex-segregated school and athletic programs and activities: use of facilities” bill that would have enforced gender-segregated sports and locker rooms.
“This bill, notwithstanding any other law, would require that a student’s participation in sex-segregated athletic programs and activities and use of facilities, including bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, overnight accommodations, and student housing at a postsecondary institution be based upon the student’s sex,” AB44 reads in part.
Assemblyman Bill Essayli (CA-R-63) introduced the proposal to protect girls from potential predation by men exploiting gender identity to access their private facilities. He lamented the Democrats’ disregard for logic and the will of most American voters.
“Assembly Democrats care more about allowing biological boys into girls’ sports and locker rooms than protecting our daughters — this defies all common sense,” Assemblyman Essayli said.
“The vast majority of Californians and all Americans agree: keep boys out of girls’ sports. Assembly Democrats are radically out of touch with common sense Californians, and the voters will hold them accountable to restore justice and fairness in girls’ sports.”
California Democrats also removed Assemblyman Essayli from all committees for proposing the removal of sanctuary protections for illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom has not issued a public statement about the bill or his party members’ unanimous decision to block its vote despite previously signaling support for fairness in women’s sports. Nonetheless, he had suggested handling the transgender issue carefully, claiming that gender non-conforming individuals are more likely to commit suicide. This false narrative sharply contradicts a recent study that linked gender affirming care to higher suicide rates.
“There’s also a humility and a grace, that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression. So both things I can hold in my hand,” he said.
“How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think is inherent in you but not always expressed on the issue, but at the same time deal with the unfairness?”
However, the threat posed by men who identify as women in women’s sports and locker rooms is well documented. In 2023, a transgender individual who was using women’s bathrooms and locker rooms beat a female student to death in Rivesider, California. Similarly, volleyball player Payton McNabb was severely injured when a transgender opponent spiked a ball so hard on her head that it caused traumatic brain injuries.
Newsom and other Democrats also overlook the mental health impact the inclusion of trans athletes has on sportswomen displaced by their biological male competitors, whom they cannot fairly compete against. In 2023, 27-year-old transgender cyclist Austin Killips won the women’s Tour of the Gila in New Mexico stage race with a whopping 50 minutes and 25 seconds.
Ada Gallagher, a transgender high schooler, also set records in the 200-meter and 400-meter girls’ races, defeating the runner-up by over 7 seconds in the usually tightly contested race. High school athlete Margaret Oneal, who ranked second behind a transgender runner, said that competing against a “physically stronger” biological male was “discouraging and disheartening” and took a mental toll on her teammates.
Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) also said the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports undermines sportswomen in numerous ways.
“To do so would threaten a woman’s physical safety and limit their opportunities for athletic success and scholarships,” Rep. Ernst said. “As a woman and a mother, I am passionate about protecting women and girls, which is why I’m working with my colleagues to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.”
