Over the past month, California Governor Gavin Newsom has been making headlines for all the right reasons: he's led an effort to respond to Texas Republicans' push to further gerrymander their state, used his profile to pressure Border Patrol and ICE, and found a very effective-and hilarious-way to get under Trump's skin through his Press Office's parodies of the president's writing style. All of these actions have catapulted him to national stardom, where he's taken on the role of leading the fight against the Trump administration.
However, to the trans community, his rise only brings fear. Because before these developments, he was trying to win over potential voters in a very different way: by abandoning the LGBTQ+ community.
In the United States, California has long had a reputation. And not just for its stereotyped sunny weather, surfer culture, and affluent, snobby culture, but for its liberal politics as well. California Democrats are synonymous-especially in more Republican-leaning areas-with the liberal style of politics conservatives detest. It's so difficult to overcome that despite California's large population and plethora of Democratic figures with a national profile, of the three presidents from California, none of them have been Democrats.
Evidently, Newsom is facing an uphill battle. So he's set off to appear more palatable to conservatives, starting with LGBTQ+ issues. Beginning in 2024, he started attempting to suppress pro-LGBTQ+ bills while they were still in the legislature in order to keep him from having to either veto them-losing progressives-or sign them-angering conservatives. Then, he went public with his new opinions during a conversation with Charlie Kirk on his podcast earlier this year, calling trans athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports 'deeply unfair.' And more recently, he signalled he changed his stance on gender-affirming care for minors as well.
This has been the strategy since killary and look where you are now! Oh at least she's better than the out and proud fascist. Well that got you genocide joe. But you were willing to rally behind him blindly, defending him and shushing anyone reminding you of the genocide until the dem misleadership decided they had to shuffle him off because he is bad tv. Let that sink in for a moment, there was enough momentum to replace him because he had a bad tv performance but not because of his literal genocide. So then you got Killemalla who has still not disagreed with the antichrist on anything relating to Palestine and her past behaviour indicates she would have kept genocide joes policy of "anything the occupation regime of west palestine does will be defended". Well there was no real resistance to her so now they're testing gruesome newsom.
Unless you people are willing to get organised and do what the DSA in new york did to unseat sex pest cuomo in favor of zohran you will keep getting these murderous conservatives. Get organised.