A new report highlights how far Democratic leaders have moved from clear answers on basic biological questions, with gender reality emerging as a political fault line ahead of the 2028 presidential race. According to Axios, only one out of nearly 20 prominent Democrats who may seek the presidency would state plainly that a man cannot become a woman.
Axios surveyed leading Democrats on several transgender-related issues, including sports participation, medical treatments for minors, and the question, “Can a man become a woman?” Most potential candidates declined to answer, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stood alone in offering a definitive response. He reiterated comments from a previous interview, saying a man cannot become a woman and that biological boys should not compete in girls’ sports.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro responded by emphasizing local control over sports decisions, while stating that transgender youths should not have an “unfair advantage on the playing field.” Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s spokesperson pointed Axios to an earlier NPR interview in which Buttigieg acknowledged “serious fairness issues” in transgender sports while calling for compassion.
Gov. Newsom addressed the topic during a recent podcast discussion with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro. When asked directly whether boys can become girls, Newsom hesitated, responding, “Yeah, I just don’t — Well, I think, for the grace of God. Yeah.” He later said, “We’re talking about so few people that are struggling with gender identity issues.”
Shapiro countered that it was not bigotry to state biological reality. Newsom has previously said it is “deeply unfair” for transgender females to compete in girls’ sports, underscoring ongoing divisions within the Democratic Party over gender reality.
