In late April 2021, Caitlyn Jenner announced that she was throwing her hat in the ring, asking Californians to vote for her to replace current California governor Gavin Newsom in light of a recall election in the state.
In her first public comments after announcing her bid for governor, Jenner spoke to TMZ about the country-wide discussions on allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. “I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls’ sports in school,” she said. “It just isn’t fair. And we have to protect girls’ sports in our schools.” The gold-medalist doubled down on her comments via Twitter, writing “I didn’t expect to get asked this on my Saturday morning coffee run, but I’m clear about where I stand. It’s an issue of fairness and we need to protect girls’ sports in our schools.”
The comments caused a stir on social media, with other celebrities weighing in and calling out the star. “Caitlyn Jenner is no friend of the LGBTQ community. Don’t call her an actvist. She’s a menace,” actor George Takei wrote. Another user called out Jenner, saying she “doesn’t represent trans people,” and “represents no one but herself, power hungry, ready to step on other trans people for political gain.”
