Only one out of nearly 20 Democrats who could be weighing a 2028 presidential run answered “definitively” that a man cannot become a woman, according to a new report.
Axios said it posed a set of questions on transgender-related issues to prominent Democrats often mentioned as potential contenders. The questions included whether transgender girls who were born male should participate in girls’ sports, whether transgender youth under 18 should have access to puberty blockers and hormones, and: “Can a man become a woman?”
Axios reported that many of the figures it contacted did not want to engage, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The only person Axios said gave a clear, direct answer was former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He told the outlet his views were unchanged from a prior interview, where he said a man can’t become a woman and that biological boys shouldn’t compete in girls’ sports.
Axios also reported responses from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Shapiro reiterated earlier comments suggesting local sports officials should make participation decisions for transgender athletes, while adding that his personal view is that trans youth should not have an “unfair advantage on the playing field.”
A spokesperson for Buttigieg, Axios reported, pointed to an NPR interview from last year in which he acknowledged “serious fairness issues” in the debate over transgender athletes and urged compassion for transgender people.
Newsom, who is widely viewed as a possible front-runner if he runs, addressed the issue in a recent podcast conversation with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro. During the exchange, Shapiro pressed Newsom on whether “boys can become girls,” accusing him of dodging the question.
Newsom struggled to answer at first, then argued the topic affects “so few people,” describing those who are “struggling with gender identity issues” as people who can go on to live “incredible lives.” He also said the discussion is often fueled by “hate and bigotry” and “condemnation.”
Shapiro responded that it was not an act of bigotry to say boys cannot become girls.
Axios also referenced a separate conversation in which Newsom previously described it as “deeply unfair” for transgender females to compete in girls’ sports.
