Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on Sunday he’s confident local communities can make their own decisions about whether to let trans athletes in women’s sports in a way that is “safe” and “fair” to young people.
“Look, I played in sports. Our kids played in sports. I want all young people to have the experience of playing in sports, every young person,” Schiff told ABC News’s Jonathan Karl on “This Week.”
“And I want those sports to be fair,” he continued. “I want those sports to be safe, and I have confidence that local schools and local communities can make those decisions without the federal government making them for them.”
Schiff’s remarks come as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has made waves for bringing conservative media pundit Charlie Kirk on his new podcast and saying he agrees that it’s “deeply unfair” for trans women to compete in women’s sports.
While Schiff said the issue should be left to local communities to decide, he also said Democrats would be making a big mistake to focus on it instead of issues of the economy and affordability that matter more to constituents.
“We need to keep the focus on what matters most to the American people, and that is the economy,” Schiff said. “We need to be talking to people about how we’re going to improve their quality of life, and we can make sure that if they’re working hard, they’re earning a good living, to the degree that … we get away from focusing on those things I think it’s a mistake.”
