Overview

• In an interview with The Dispatch, Gallego said parents’ worries about their daughters’ safety and fair competition are “legitimate” when transgender athletes join girls’ teams.
• He recommended that school boards and athletic associations set eligibility criteria and identify sports where separation by birth sex is warranted.
• The shift departs from his prior record as a four-time co-sponsor of the Equality Act and his vote against a 2023 bill to ban trans girls from girls’ sports.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Seth Moulton have also publicly raised concerns about competitive fairness in women’s sports involving transgender athletes.
• More than half of U.S. states, including Arizona, now restrict or ban transgender students from participating in school sports aligned with their gender identity.