Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) contended that any decision allowing transgender athletes in women’s sports ought to be left up to “the communities,” making him the latest Democratic lawmaker to weigh in on the issue in a similar manner.
Kim was one of 45 Democrats who voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act last week, with the bill failing to pass the 60-vote threshold. When asked if he agrees with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) argument that it is “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to compete against women in sports, Kim did not provide a direct answer, instead suggesting that such a decision should not be up to the federal government.
“Well, what I agree is that we want to make sure that these decisions are made by the communities, by the communities, by the schools, and others that are the ones closest to us,” Kim explained on CNN’s State of the Union. “And understand what we know is that we‘re talking about a handful of people, a handful of athletes around the country. These decisions can be made in a way that doesn‘t require the entirety of the federal government to come in on top of that.”
He also suggested that President Donald Trump and Republicans are playing “politics” with this topic, calling this “offensive.” He also questioned why Republicans argue their focus on this issue stems around safety concerns when there were many school shootings last year.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), meanwhile, has argued the debate on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports only happens “in order to make sparks and see sparks fly.” She also suggested that “the local community” ought to decide its stance on this matter.
Newsom’s stance against transgender athletes in women’s sports sparked ire from California Democrats, who said they were “sickened” by his remarks.