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California Gov. Gavin Newsom declined to give a direct answer when asked what age is too young for children to undergo transgender surgeries.
Speaking on former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan’s podcast, Newsom called the topic a “major problem” for the Democratic Party but stopped short of explaining his personal stance.
“Yeah, I mean look, now that I have a nine-year-old, just became nine, come on, man,” Newsom said when asked whether children as young as eight should be treated.
Jamie Reed, a self-described Democrat and a transgender clinic whistleblower, said she wasn’t satisfied with the governor’s response on “Fox & Friends.”
“He does not answer the question,” Reed said. “And for a lifelong Democrat like myself, I am incredibly disappointed that the party, this person who wants to be the leader of the party, is still not able to answer the basic science questions.”
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During the podcast, Newsom suggested that the debate around transgender surgeries for minors likely played a “very significant” role in the 2024 election and may have hurt Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency.
Reed said Newsom’s hesitation to clarify his stance may be linked to a broader lack of education on the controversial health issue.
“I think part of why he pivots and doesn’t answer the question is because the best answer from the Democrats right now needs to be first an apology,” she said.
“We got this wrong. We have hurt children and families, and we are sorry.”
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The issue of transgender treatments for minors, while a rare occurrence in the United States, has been a heated debate between the Trump administration and California.
In February, California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a memo reminding hospitals and federally funded healthcare providers in California that they need to continue offering gender treatments, such as hormone therapy and surgeries for transgender youths.
The statement was in response to the Trump administration issuing a directive that could freeze or stop federal funding to programs that provide this type of care.
Reed accused Newsom of minimizing the seriousness of the issue by not having a stronger position on the topic.
“Gavin acts like, in this interview, he doesn’t understand what’s going on in his own state,” she said. “How could he run for president if he doesn’t even understand the policies and how they impact families in his state?”
In 2022, Newsom declared California a sanctuary state for families seeking the treatments for minors. He signed the bill as other states moved to ban such treatment for minors, including Tennessee, which at the time passed a law prohibiting it for young people who hadn’t experienced puberty.
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