Overview
- Axios asked nearly 20 Democrats seen as 2028 prospects about girls’ sports participation, youth medical care, and whether a man can become a woman, and most declined to answer.
- Only Rahm Emanuel, Josh Shapiro, and Pete Buttigieg responded; Emanuel rejected male participation in women’s sports and said a man cannot become a woman while questioning minors’ access to transition treatments.
- Shapiro said decisions about transgender athletes should rest with scholastic officials, noted concern about unfair advantage, and his office cited recent legal action against the Trump administration’s bid to curb care for children.
- Buttigieg urged compassion, said sports leagues should set rules, and did not address the other questions posed.
- Republicans are preparing 2028 ads echoing Trump’s 2024 “Kamala is for they/them” spot as Pew polling shows voters favor restrictions on youth transition and team eligibility, with a recent Newsom exchange highlighting Democrats’ messaging risks.