Steyer Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer went on Jennifer Welch's 'I've Had It' podcast on Monday, May 25, 2026, and stated his position directly.

'I'm totally in favor of trans athletes in high school,' Steyer told the podcast. No hedging. No nuance.

His reasoning: transgender youth are vulnerable, roughly half attempt suicide, and excluding them from team sports makes things worse. Those are his words.

The Suicide Statistic Gets Weaponized Without Context

Steyer cited the claim that 'almost half' of transgender youth attempt suicide. That figure comes from studies like the Trevor Project's surveys — self-reported data with significant methodological limitations, not clinical diagnosis records. It's a contested number.

But Steyer treated it as settled fact and used it to shut down opposition. 'We're gonna punish those kids?' he said, framing opponents as cruel rather than engaging the competitive fairness argument.

He Also Called the Whole Debate a 'Right-Wing Attempt'

Speaking separately to CBS Los Angeles, Steyer branded anyone raising concerns about transgender athletes in girls' sports as perpetuating a 'right-wing attempt to victimize and villainize already vulnerable and desperate people,' according to Yahoo News.

Parents of girls who lost varsity spots to biological males aren't raising a legitimate concern in Steyer's view — they're smearing vulnerable kids.

This isn't a fringe view. It's the official Democratic Party line in California.

The Rest of the Field Isn't Much Different

Steyer isn't an outlier in this race. According to Yahoo News, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter argued youth sports are about 'building character and teamwork rather than determining who is best.' Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was asked about existing California state law and — per reporting — didn't break from it.

The full Democratic field in California's June 2 primary includes Steyer, Porter, Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former State Controller Betty Yee, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Republicans in the race include former TV host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

The debate was held May 5 at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park.

California Law Already Backs Steyer's Position

Steyer isn't proposing new policy — he's defending existing California law. According to The Coffman Chronicle, California state education officials say state law protects students from discrimination based on gender identity, including equal access to athletic opportunities. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) says students may participate in sports consistent with their gender identity.

Biological males are already competing in girls' high school sports in California right now, under official state policy.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Getting Wrong

Fox News covered this story and framed Steyer's position as controversial. Fair enough — it is, to a large portion of Americans.

But the mainstream California press mostly ignored the actual policy consequences. There are real girls who lost real roster spots and real competition opportunities. Yahoo News noted that families have already sued the California attorney general over the trans athlete law after a girl lost a varsity spot to a transgender competitor. That lawsuit barely registered in coverage of Steyer's remarks.

No one asked Steyer: what do you say to the girl who lost her starting position? What do you say to the family whose daughter trained for years and got bumped by someone with a biological male physique?

Steyer's Broader Platform Is Expensive and Ambitious

On the policy front, The Coffman Chronicle reports Steyer is running on free pre-K through college education, higher corporate and billionaire taxes, lower housing costs, lower electricity bills, climate action, universal healthcare access, AI regulation, and opposition to aggressive ICE enforcement.

That's a massive expansion of government — proposed by a man worth well over $1 billion. A billionaire running on taxing billionaires.

The trans athlete issue is one plank on a platform that would fundamentally reshape California's already-strained finances. It's getting disproportionate attention because it's a culture flashpoint. Both the left and right are using it to score points instead of examining what the full Steyer agenda would actually cost taxpayers.

Where This Leaves the Race

Tom Steyer wants to be governor of the most populous state in America. He's made clear that biological males competing in girls' high school sports is not a problem, and he views disagreement as a right-wing smear.

Millions of California parents — including plenty of Democrats — think that's wrong.

On June 2, voters will decide if this matters, or whether California's primary electorate rewards whoever stakes out the furthest left position on cultural issues and promises the most state programs.

Girls who train for years to compete in their sports have not received a direct answer to their concerns.