Some Democrats Take a Harder Line On Trans Athletes

New York Times: “As the midterm election approaches, some Democrats in battleground races are moving to respond to Republican attacks casting them as extreme on transgender issues. In some cases, Democrats have reacted by accusing Republicans of being out of touch with voters’ economic concerns, or desperate to change the subject. In others, Democrats have voiced their opposition to transgender female athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports. At times, their opposition has drawn criticism from other Democrats.”

“The strategies show how the party has shifted on the issue since the last nationwide election — a pivot that has played out in various ways since early 2025, when Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat from deep-blue California considering a run for president, suggested that the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports was ‘deeply unfair.'”