199 Comments
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Erik W.'s avatar

Just speaking with Kirk is an insult to everyone who voted for him.

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Christina's avatar

Thank you for sharing this. I'm in CA and until now was fairly happy with his work. This completely changes that.

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Illuminancer's avatar

I am absolutely livid. He's so desperate to be president that he'll do anything. Spineless coward.

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Susan Tuzzolino's avatar

We need to flood his office with phone calls and his emails with letters! Don't wait!

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Ollie's avatar

Absolutely! Sent mine earlier!

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Chrissy  Ulrey's avatar

Me too!

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GabrielleB's avatar

What email? I can’t seem to find one for him.

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The Transgender American's avatar

Done at 6 a.m. this morning

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Melissa Hillman's avatar

SAME. I went right from here this morning to contacting his office to yell at home. What the whole entire hell

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Jen G's avatar

I'm so angry. I gave him an earful and am ready to mobilize. What a spineless move.

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Jessica's avatar

Well, someone is not running for president in 2028...

If California can fall on all this stuff; at this point, just, wow.

The rest of the blue wall better not follow suit. CO/NY/WA/MN/MD/etc PLEASE HOLD THE LINE.

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Jayna Sheats's avatar

I don't think California's government as a whole (legislature, and other statewide elected officials) are "fully aligned" with Mr. Newsom on this at all. We will not fall. But this certainly doesn't help.

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Isabel Goyer's avatar

True blue New Mexico. I feel good about out leadership, but this betrayal was a gut punch. Our governor is better than Cali's. Just enormously pissed off at him.

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Kit Zare's avatar

Yup

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Ollie's avatar

What a worm of a man. I don’t live in CA, but you can bet your ass everyone I know who does will be contacting this cretin. Hope he enjoyed his podcast, because boy oh boy I’m going to personally make sure he hears from enough people to regret it.

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Ollie's avatar

These bitches like to pretend they can do whatever they want to us, however as we have already seen with republicans hiding from the public, OUR VOICES MATTER. I am currently emailing this feckless little freak, and contacting my extended family and friends who are residents of CA to do the same. We will not stand for this, we have the power.

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Ollie's avatar

https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ should y’all be interested

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Illuminancer's avatar

Thanks for the link. I may have to wait until I'm capable of forming a sentence that doesn't start "You venal piece of shit", but I will write to the asshole.

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Kai Kinzer's avatar

Thank you for the link. Made it easy.

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Anthony Feig's avatar

Thanks for the link. I don't live in CA but I wrote him anyway and said this:

Your stupid podcast throwing LGBT people under the bus did not qualify as "leadership" or "governing."

If you want to be a MAGA President so bad, why don't you move out of CA?

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Carol Hunt's avatar

Thanks for the link. I sent him a letter even though I don’t live in CA. What a disappointment he is.

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MissNumbersNinja's avatar

I'm not from CA. but there is no address required to contact Gavin Newsom, so I went ahead and sent this message -

--------

Dear Governor Newsom,

I am disgusted by your discussion with anti-LGBTQ extremist Charlie Kirk on your podcast. Your condoning his intolerant and hateful message about transgender people is disgraceful.

In New Hampshire democrats tried crossing party lines on transgender sports bans and youth gender affirming care and they lost seats the next cycle. Learn the lesson.

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MissNumbersNinja's avatar

Thank you for using your contacts in CA to speak out on this!!

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Vicki T's avatar

Yeah he’s a populist not a true liberal. F&@k him I hope people see him for who he is now.

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Andrew Cristancho's avatar

This is horrifying news

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Andrew Cristancho's avatar

What the hell is he thinking?!

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NoThankYou's avatar

He's doing the typical pre-presidental "moderating" bullshit. He's swinging right to appease the moderate voters. This never works but Dems keep trying.

He might also be an asshole.

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Anthony Feig's avatar

"It never works but Dems keep trying" is a basic truth you just spoke there. They always effing do that.

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MissNumbersNinja's avatar

There was definitely assholery on display there.

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rc4797's avatar

"However, the issue of transgender rights surfaced repeatedly." People who are NOT transgender need to read that sentence a couple of times and let it sink in. Here we have two ostensibly straight well off white men aged 57 and 31, one the governor of the biggest state in the union, the other a political operative with a well-funded operation, sitting around obsessing about a percentage of the population which overall is generously estimated at approximately 1.5 percent and when speaking of athletes and minors is far less than that. Any sane person would look at that and say WTAF? Why this obsession? Don't you two whack jobs have something better to discuss? Like things that may effect 100 percent, or 90 percent, or 80 percent, etc. of the population?

If you're spending this much time obsessing over what's between other peoples' legs than you are a sick motherf-cker who probably spends a lot of your time typing with one hand. Or, alternatively, you're weaponizing hate towards an already marginalized, infinitesmally small number of people. Or both.

Democrats who engage in this "you have a point" bullshit need to have their asses handed to them. They buy into the right wing narrative, fuel it and give it the air it needs to be successful. The proper course is to bring Kirk on your show and ask "Hey, Charlie, why are you so obsessed about trans people? Do you have some fetish? What's your deal? You and people like you come off as weird." Make this topic one that if you're going to raise it for political ends you're going to pay a price in terms of having to explain why you're doing so.

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Shamoun's avatar

What a disgrace. We were finally seeing some (decent) news regarding (some) people standing up for trans rights, should have known the other shoe was about to drop. Guess we know where Newsom stands, the absolute twat.

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Cynthia Kruger (HI) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

As I said in another reply . . . Newsom is better characterized as an opportunist that shifts with the wind.

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Shamoun's avatar

Indeed. I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier, he’s a total worm angling for the presidency and stepping all over trans bodies to do it.

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Cynthia Kruger (HI) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

That definitely seems to be the case! I will be taking anything he says and does with a massive grain of salt.

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Jayna Sheats's avatar

So much that you'd die of salt poisoning if you even tried... 😏

I've known he was a "triangulator" for a long time, but I didn't think he was truly devoid of principles. Apparently I was misinformed...

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Kate Cheyne's avatar

Instructions

#1 Email the Governor

Go to: https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/

On the left, under topic, select “OTHER” last on the list

Select “Leave a comment” and Click Next

On the next page click “Con” and then enter this message, with your personal comments:

RE: Demand for Apology and Policy Reversal to Ensure Equitable, Safe Trans Youth & Adult Participation in Sports

Dear Governor Newsom,

I barely have the words to describe the deep betrayal I am experiencing from your recent podcast in which you stated a deep opposition to trans girls and women able to compete in sports.

I am asking you, as the same person who has so genuinely led on marriage equality and other human rights issues, to search your heart and see that what is fair is that those same girls and boys who aren’t born with bodies that match their identities revere sports too. What is fair is to not introduce a deeply hurtful form of discrimination against our children who simply want to be themselves, and play the sports they love. Just think about the implications of this, the risks of bullying and even violence in the locker room, and more.

Because you are such a long-time ally and leader, your words have nearly unparalleled power. They have for decades brought comfort and inspiration to LGBTQ+ communities. But today, you have caused such searing pain and anguish. If you do not act swiftly to rectify this, you will have done permanent damage to our communities, and your own legacy.

I demand that you at least take these actions:

Issue an immediate and full apology,

Meet with trans athletes and their families, and

Publicly commit to a full policy reversal, and work with the Legislature to ensure full and equitable participation in sports for all Californians, regardless of identity.

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Jordan's avatar

Here’s the text I used (I did copy your demands, but I didn’t feel like giving him as much credit for being an ally, and I wanted to push back a little more on why trans sports bans are harmful).

The governor’s recent conversation with anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Charlie Kirk on his podcast was a total betrayal of his LGBTQ+ constituents, it was cowardly and ignored decades of legitimate research in favor of spinelessly capitulating to a bigot.

By both hosting Kirk and failing to push back on his hateful rhetoric the governor is not “fostering discussion on trans people in sports”, he is handing the microphone to an anti-LGBTQ extremist who used the platform the governor provided to advocate for state-sanctioned and vigilante violence against the transgender community. Banning trans people from participating in sports is not about fairness, or even about protecting cis women. It is about forcing trans people out of public life. Banning trans people from participating in sports has consistently led to more extreme discriminatory policies like bathroom bans, care bans, legal ID bands and more. The research shows us: these policies kill.

If you do not act swiftly to rectify this, you will have done permanent damage to our communities, and your own legacy.

I demand that you at least take these actions:

Issue an immediate and full apology,

Meet with trans athletes and their families, and publicly commit to a full policy reversal, and work with the Legislature to ensure full and equitable participation in sports for all Californians, regardless of identity.

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Chrissy  Ulrey's avatar

Here’s the text I used:

I feel deeply betrayed that the gov chose THIS moment to have a public conversation with someone who is so anti-trans. As a parent of a trans teen, trying to deflect all of the anti trans rhetoric and proposed legislation and executive orders, comments and posts on social media, and from family members, is EXHAUSTING. I have been making calls to my reps and speaking out for weeks. And now I have to add my own democratic governor to the list? I feel so betrayed. We need allies more than ever.

He may have nuanced thoughts about trans athletes, but this was not the way to make these views known.

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ellobot's avatar

Thank you so much for the instructions. They always make taking these actions feel so much more accessible.

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Loring Allen's avatar

I don't live in CA. Can I still contact Gov. Need-som balls?

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Laura B's avatar

Yes his webpage doesn’t aak for you address. This Virginian gave him an earful

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The Transgender American's avatar

Absolutely. Thanks to Citizens United we can donate to whoever runs against him in the primary. I know I will

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Tamara Tate's avatar

Thank you for making that so easy! Done ✅

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Sophia Kelly Grace's avatar

WTF!?!!! There goes my thought that he was a viable option for the next Dem presidential nominee.

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Some Random Trans Woman's avatar

Yeah, I was thinking of voting for him, on the theory that he's more electable than AOC. But I guess I'll just vote for AOC, who is my true preference anyway.

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Mary Fallah's avatar

Newsom is slimy. His opinions always move with the tides. I have never trusted him. I know he wants to be President but he is the one “democrat” I would never vote for.

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Cynthia Kruger (HI) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

I'm a former California resident now living on the Big Island of Hawai'i, my recollection of Governor Newsom was that despite being mostly liberal, he tended to play both sides of the line . . . whichever would get him the best political position. Thus I characterize him more as an opportunist rather than as a democrat or liberal.

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Miriam's avatar

Well that’s concerning for trans people in California

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Jayna Sheats's avatar

It's more for the nation. I don't believe he will change the opinion or stance of state legislators, or the other state elected officials, with this self-serving (and badly self-serving) drivel; it will kill any chances he thought he had. But nationwide it will be played up to the hilt by our opponents.

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Hann Henson's avatar

Im glad when I moved to a blue state from a red one, I picked JB Pritzker and not Newsom. I dealt with too many CA liberals who moved to my area and knew that they were the kind who would throw you under the bus right away. White cis gay property bros, those kinds of people. Still, it's alarming to the point of making me actively feel nauseous to actually be thrown under the bus. Honestly, I will never forgive the Democratic party for what they have done and continue to do. They lost the narrative around us and they never tried to correct it, and now that the conversation has so dramatically and horrifically shifted, they go "oh, well, the American people believe this, so I better go along with it." UM? It was the Republicans that you allowed to continue spewing falsehoods that allowed the American public to be captured like that. Ten years ago we were having actual discussions based in fact about this shit, taking into account our humanity, our dignity, our rights. Imho the dems decided that transgender people just weren't worth fighting for, because we're so few. Who cares if we all die? No politician has a soul anyway.

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Veronica (she/her)'s avatar

JB has been on offense for us since he took office, with protecting all marginalized people a key issue. It’s abhorrent that Newsom sold us out like this.

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Sydney's avatar

This part. I have never trusted California liberals as long as I have lived and I don't think I ever will.

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Angela Lexington's avatar

This is certainly not the kind of news I wanted to hear today, but it's really good to know that nobody can be trusted anymore.

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Ianto West's avatar

Horrifying and confusing? Cruel and bad political calculus. Thanks for your reporting

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