Pete Buttigieg latest Democrat to oppose trans women in women’s sports

The openly gay presidential hopeful joined Gavin Newsom and Rahm Emanuel as high-profile Democrats turning against trans issues

Pete Buttigieg is the latest Democrat to question trans athletes’ participation in sports. 

The former presidential candidate and current 2028 presidential hopeful made the comments on NPR’s Morning Edition after host Steve Inskeep asked what his “approach” is to trans issues. 

Buttigieg is the latest 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful to question trans people’s right to participate in sports—or even the right to exist at all. And it’s an alarming trend as the party looks to regroup following Donald Trump’s election win last year.

Earlier this year, California governor Gavin Newsom—who is also a top candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential ticket—made several statements on his podcast against trans inclusion in sports, including in an episode featuring conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

And former Chicago mayor and Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who has also been mulling a presidential run, took it a step further on a recent appearance on conservative commentator Megyn Kelly’s radio show. 

After saying he was opposed to gender-affirming care for trans youth, trans women participating in women’s sports and trans women being housed in women’s prisons, Emanuel denied that “a man can become a woman.”

We break down what you need to know. 

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

Keep Reading

Renée Richards at a tennis match

The complicated legacy of Renée Richards

The former tennis player broke barriers for trans athletes in 1977. Then she changed her tune
Supporters of HIV AIDS research participate in the 2025 Toronto Pride Parade

Toronto man set to be the first Canadian cured of HIV

The patient received a stem cell transplant for his cancer that acted as a “double cure” because it contained a rare genetic mutation resistant to HIV
A photo of the outside of the New York Times building in New York City

Only 1 in 5 ‘New York Times’ news stories about trans issues quote actual trans people: report

A new 'Assigned Media' report found that the 'New York Times' rarely cited trans people in coverage about trans issues
A side by side of images from On Our Backs, a lesbian magazine.

The radical legacy of ‘On Our Backs’ magazine

“On Our Backs” filled a void by authentically documenting—and celebrating—lesbian sexuality
Advertisement