California candidate for governor Betty Yee backs gender-neutral Olympics

"They have been through a transition," she said, "a physical transition, and I do believe that they should be able to participate with other female athletes." Yee's opponent in the race Katie Porter also believes men can be women and compete in women's sports.

"Wow," Morgan said. "Well, you've got the Olympics coming to California, to LA, so are you suggesting that you would allow trans athletes to compete in women's sports in the Olympics if you were governor?"

"Well," Yee responded, "I think there's still a lot of discussion that needs to happen. I think there's a lot of information we need to learn about what's really happening with the ability of trans athletes to compete." Then she clarified that her statement is "about being able to be sure that they can compete."

Males athletes who identify as transgender are able to compete in the sport of their choice. Under the Trump administration, those males were banned from competing in women's sports, but they are free to compete in male sports.

California has bucked the Trump rules and said that males who claim to be women should compete against women. This has resulted in displacing women from athletic competition as males are substantially stronger than women.

"My question," Morgan said, continuing to press Yee, "is whether you think they should compete in women's sport in the Olympics, because it's coming to LA, so it's relevant." The Trump administration has already said that no males will be competing in women's athletics in the 2028 Olympics.

"I think transgender female athletes are women athletes," Yee said.

"Wow, really?" Morgan pressed again, asking if she would "support biological males who identify as women competing in women's sport in the Olympics" were she governor.

"They are now identified as transgender female," she said. She went on to say that she thinks "there is still some discussion about whether they should compete in the same field, but I just want them to be able to participate."

When urged further by Morgan, Yee did admit that men and women "do come with different attributes in terms of physicality," though she could not name a sport where women are physically advantaged over men.

Morgan asked outright "Would you have a gender neutral Olympics where you would have not, you wouldn't have male and female sport, then you just have one, one that everyone could join in?"

"Well, I don't think we're going to get that tomorrow, but I think it's a conversation worth having," Yee said.