Gavin Newsom Can’t Say Whether Eight Is Too Young To ‘Transition’ Genders

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was unable to definitively provide an answer when he was asked if a child who is eight years old is too young to undergo irreversible transgender procedures.

Newsom, who appears to be ramping up his 2028 presidential campaign efforts, joined podcast host Shawn Ryan this week and was asked point-blank about his personal views on so-called “gender-affirming care.”

“What about for your values, is eight years old too young?” Ryan asked Newsom. 

“Yeah, I mean look, now that I have a 9-year-old — just became nine. Come on, man, I get it,” Newsom said. “So those are legit — it’s interesting, the issue of age, I haven’t … As someone that’s been so focused on equality, broadly — LGBT rights, particularly, though, gay marriage. The trans issue for me is also novel — it’s over the last few years, I’m trying to understand as much as anyone else. The whole pronoun thing, trying to understand all of that. That was like — all that stuff, I get it. All this stuff started to collapse on us.”

“On the issue of children, this is a tough, tough issue,” the governor added.

Newsom later said that he’s coming to this issue “more open-minded than I’ve ever been,” but also suggested he didn’t take it seriously early on because conservatives, whom he “didn’t respect,” opposed it.

“A lot of the pushback came from folks, candidly, that I didn’t respect, that never respected the gay community, period,” Newsom said. “They were people who were opposed to just basic rights, … so I think that my next inclination was to dismiss, and now I recognize more fully and deeply. And I think the sports issue really opened that door for me.”

WATCH:

Ryan: Is 8 years old too young for a sex change?

Newsom: Yeah… Now that I have a 9-year-old, come on man, I get it. pic.twitter.com/aCSFvwrg9V

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 14, 2025

Notably, Newsom made California the first “sanctuary state” for transgender-identifying minors seeking these life-altering surgeries. The state also has policies that allow teachers to shield parents from knowing about their child’s “gender transition.” 

Related: ‘Not Anti-Gun At All’: Newsom’s Latest Attempt To Disguise His Rampant Leftism