Gavin Newsom Is a Garbage Person
He will not stop talking to fascists about how maybe trans kids don't deserve equal rights. Please go away!
As you probably know, Gavin Newsom is the sitting governor of California, the most populous and economically important state in the U.S. Seems like a full-time gig to me! But, as you also probably know, over the past few months, Newsom has somehow found the time to spend hours hanging out with far-right dipshits and talking about how actually all of this ~woke~ stuff maybe isn’t so good, and also would you like to vote for him for president someday, not that he’s really saying that out loud, but wink wink. And, as you also also probably know (because you are so well-informed), one of the main things that Newsom is all “maybe the bigots are right” about is trans people, specifically whether trans kids can play on sports teams that match their gender identity.
When Newsom first started in on this blah blah, a few people went, “Wow, finally someone started hating on our big enemy: trans kids playing sports!” A lot of people went, “As a decent human being, I find this abhorrent.” And precisely nobody went, “I really wish Gavin Newsom would keep discussing this topic.”
But, because the world is designed to try us, Newsom will not shut up about his anti-trans conversion. Earlier this week, he did a four-hour interview with Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and Blackwater contractor—so, y’know, definitely a cool guy—who now has a podcast. And one of the clips that surfaced from this interminable chat features Newsom pontificating about how oh my god, this trans stuff is sooooooo tough:
Here is the transcript of this bilge (emphasis mine):
All this was sort of, I think, post-George Floyd, post-COVID, we kind of came out. And there was obviously this rights movement post-George Floyd, which you’ve got to understand, I mean, on the basis of what occurred and all the social unrest.
And there was a natural inclination then to try to course correct, but it was across the spectrum of issues, including increasingly on the issues of how we talk, communicate, how politically correct and sensitive people started becoming, use of language, pronouns, and then issues around the trans community and this notion of gender-affirming care for children. That's tough, man.
And the science on that, I haven't delved that deep into it, but I read one report, and then there's one that's slightly contradictory. And then they said, there's no contradictory. Here's what the UK just came out with. You're full of shit. It's absolutely scientifically sound, it's outrageous. And so it's intense. And then I meet with families, literally, meet with families, [who say gender-affirming care] saved my child's life. And they're thriving.
[…]I come to this very much more open-minded than I've ever been, more receptive, because a lot of the pushback came from folks, candidly, that I didn't respect, that never respected the gay community, period. There are people who are opposed to just basic rights that have been going after [trans people]. So I think the natural inclination was sort of, dismiss. And now I recognize more fully and deeply, and I think the sports issue really opened that door for me, the nuances in this space. That said, I'll take a back seat to no one in terms of anti-discrimination laws against the community. That's where I take a backseat to no one. And I've signed some of the most progressive legislation on that, and I'm proud of that. That's who I am. Stand up for ideals and strike out against injustice. And I think it's unjust to attack vulnerable communities and discriminate against people. That said, on the issue of children, this is a tough, tough issue.
Where to even begin. I guess at the beginning.
First, like I mentioned, this was part of a four-hour interview. Last I checked, being governor of a state was a pretty important gig. Doesn’t Gavin have, like, work to do? If I still lived in California I would be kind of pissed off that the top politician in the state was constantly skipping off to do endless chats with fascists rather than the job my taxes were helping to pay him to do.
“We started caring about trans people because of George Floyd” is an insane thing to say. Trans people were definitely a thing before then, Gavin! Just because you were a myopic tool about these things doesn’t mean everyone else was.
The pronouns stuff, my god. Enough of the “learning one new concept is SOOOOO confusing.” My 7-year-old nephew knows how to call people by their correct pronouns, and I have never seen him going “how does this even work?!?!?!” So I think the 57-year-old governor of California can probably figure it out without melting down.
“The science on that, I haven’t delved that deep into it, but”—wait, lemme stop you there. “I am ignorant about this issue” is the point at which you decide not to extemporize endlessly about it in a long conversation with a right-wing sicko.
“I come to this very much more open-minded”—cool, great, I’m sure trans tweens everywhere are grateful that Newsom is now more open to the idea that they are an evil cancer infecting all the cis kids on the Little League teams of California. And when he talks about the “nuances” in this space, it’s important to remember that the “nuance” in this case is “should we make the lives of trans children even harder than they might already been.” Another win for Gavin’s nuanced brain!
“I’ll take a back seat to no one in terms of anti-discrimination”—uhhh, my guy, you are l i t e r a l l y talking about discriminating against trans kids! You have already taken a back seat!
“And I think it's unjust to attack vulnerable communities and discriminate against people. That said,”—ah, the classic “that said.” Everyone deserves equal rights! That said….some people actually do not deserve them. Newsom might as well have said “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
In conclusion, Gavin Newsom is a garbage person and he should keep his mouth shut. There will doubtless be people who will say “stop shutting down debate! The woke mob!” about me recommending that Gavin Newsom shut up. But you know what? When people make a habit of hanging out with shitheels for the express purpose of throwing vulnerable communities under the bus, I think it’s important to demand that they go away. So go away, Gavin Newsom. Enough of this crap.
Gavin Newsom could give the keynote speech at CPAC wearing a MAGA hat while draped in an American flag while reading word for word from mein kampf…and come election time the GOP and its faithful would still call him a godless commie who wants to unleash hordes of undocumented immigrants upon lawful (aka white) Americans, take away all your guns, and forcibly turn your kid gay/trans.
These people will never fucking learn that there is nothing to be gained by stooping to the level of your enemy, with only your dignity—which they don’t care about/have—and support amongst your base—which they ostensibly do care about—to lose. It’s why Zohran won: because he refused to play this crooked game and refused to engage on these issues on his enemy’s terms. Until the mainstream Dems learn that (which, given they’ve been losing this battle since at least 2016 but more realistically it goes back to at least the 90s with Clinton), it’s just going to remain that tweet about whining to the refs about the rules while a dog keeps dunking all over them.
Parker Molloy, who is a trans woman, made the very defensible declaration on Bluesky that she would not vote for Gavin Newsom, who is open to the idea that she should not exist. Oh the shitstorm that ensued . . .