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Gov. Gavin Newsom has platformed numerous far-right influencers on his podcast, including Charlie Kirk. During that episode, he capitulated to a known transphobic bully (Kirk) and conceded that he believes the issue of trans people participating in sports is truly an issue of fairness. Newsom called it deeply unfair.
I would consider siding with an idealogue with hateful views who regularly launched racist and transphobic tirades to be the act of a bully. It takes very little courage to punch down at trans high school athletes from a position of power. Playing far to the right makes no sense. The far right won’t and doesn’t like him more for it; it is just used as ammunition to further their cause of erasure of trans people from public life.
I would also consider Newsom’s extreme anti-homeless policies and posturing to be the same form of bullying. Attacking the most vulnerable with no plan to help the situation, while introducing rhetoric around “enough is enough,” is extremely weak, the hallmark of your classic bully. He has also given into anti-immigrant rhetoric in another apparent appeal to the right.
All of this comes to one conclusion, regardless of party affiliation, punching down toward the most marginalized members of our community is a bully move, and not an example I would ever hope anyone would follow. If seeing Donald Trump be rage-baited by memes is what passes for effective politics in this town, I think we need new role models. Zohran Mamdani won a majority vote in New York city on a pro-immigrant, pro-trans, and pro solutions to affordability, showing it can be done without platforming the far right in an appeal to the middle. Maybe Gov. Newsom and those who think so highly of his bullying campaign should take note. Kindness isn’t as dead and weak as we might think.
Sean Crossno
Santa Cruz