Billionaire California candidate for governor Tom Steyer backs men in women's high school sports, says they are 'under threat of death'

California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer is facing mounting backlash after defending the participation of male athletes in girls’ high school sports while dismissing concerns from female athletes impacted by the policy.

Speaking on the I’ve Had It podcast with progressive host Jennifer Welch, Steyer said he fully supports transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports, arguing that protecting transgender youth outweighs concerns about fairness in competition.

“You talked about trans people. I'm totally in favor of trans athletes in high school,” Steyer said. “I think when you understand the vulnerability, the stress, the danger of being a trans kid, and you understand that almost half of them try to commit suicide.” This alleged trans suicide stat has been debunked.

He continued by arguing that excluding transgender athletes from girls’ sports would isolate vulnerable students from their communities. “And then you think we're going to punish those kids. We're going to cut them off from team sports. We're going to cut them off from participating in the community. We're like, no, we're not. No, we're not,” Steyer said.

The billionaire candidate, endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, who has frequently highlighted his own background in athletics, also downplayed the impact on female competitors. “And, you know, as someone who played sports my whole life and loves sports and loves playing sports, they're more important things than whether you start on your high school basketball team,” Steyer said. “And that is standing up for people who are under threat of death.”

The remarks come as California continues to face fierce debate over policies allowing biological males who identify as transgender to compete in girls’ sports, with critics arguing the rules undermine competitive fairness and opportunities for female athletes. One competitor, AB Hernandez, has won so many girls' championships that organizers put up a double podium so that the female winner of the women's competitions could also be recongized with a top win.

Steyer’s comments added to what was already a difficult weekend for the Democratic candidate. On Saturday, Steyer was escorted out of Leimert Park in Los Angeles by the California Highway Patrol after reparations protesters surrounded his SUV following a campaign event. Leimert Park, considered a cultural hub of Los Angeles’ black community, hosted Steyer at Ora Cafe, where he promoted reparations for descendants of American slaves. During the event, Steyer said there is a “gigantic debt owed to this community” and referred to the black community as “the moral leader of the United States” during his lifetime.

As the event unfolded, demonstrators gathered outside the venue and confronted Steyer over what they described as vague promises on reparations. Security reportedly escorted Steyer out a rear exit and into a black SUV as protesters surrounded the vehicle. “What’s your position on reparations Tom Steyer?” one protester shouted through the window, according to reporter Maeve Reston. “How are you going to cut the check?" Another protester told him, “Don’t ever come back to Africatown.”

A California Highway Patrol officer later arrived to help the vehicle leave the area.

“Black people are really kind of tired of the Democratic Party always coming around during election season for our votes,” one demonstrator said, according to Reston. “It’s a brand new day. You can’t come over here offering us symbolism, dancing, singing, pats on the back, and think we’re gonna vote for you.”

The incidents come as California’s gubernatorial race remains competitive ahead of the state’s top-two primary election. According to an Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll released earlier this month, Democrat Xavier Becerra leads the field with 19 percent support. Republican Steve Hilton and Steyer are tied for second place at 17 percent each. Under California’s election system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.