California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner on Wednesday said biological boys who begin transitioning at “a very young age” should “of course” be allowed to compete in girls’ sports.
Jenner’s comments come after the former Olympian said earlier this month that biological boys should not be allowed to compete in girls’ sports as a matter of “fairness.” However, transgender activists criticized Jenner after the initial comments, noting that the Republican gubernatorial candidate had said in 2020 that every trans person should be allowed to compete in sports.
“I think every trans person, if they’re into athletics, should have an opportunity to compete and to improve themselves,” Jenner said last year. “I think sports is such a great way to learn a lot about yourself. And yeah, I want to, hopefully they’ll have the opportunity in the future to do whatever they can do. I’m all for it. I’m all for it.”
Yet during an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Jenner shifted positions once again, saying “of course” biological boys should be able to compete in girls’ sports if they began transitioning when they were “very young.”
Jenner suggested creating a “commission” to assess individual cases of trans athletes wanting to compete in sports.
“What I would do as governor, I would put together a commission,” Jenner said. “Trans women compete in the Olympics, they compete in the NCAA, but when it gets down to the high school level, there’s no guide rules, there’s no rules and regulations how they can.
“And trans women, who are truly trans, who at a very young age, you know, started proper medical treatment, they’ve grown up as girls, of course they should be able to compete in girls’ sports,” Jenner said. “But yes, some guy who hasn’t done any therapy, hasn’t done anything, there has to be a review board.
“And I would be the first governor to put together a review board to review each case,” Jenner added.
However, Jenner argued that the problem is “such a small issue.”
“It’s like a non-issue that’s out there,” Jenner said. “And I would be surprised if there’s 30 trans athletes in the entire state.”
Jenner’s comments come as more than 20 Republican-leaning states have worked to pass legislation around fairness in women’s sports.