The Center for American Progress (CAP) is the liberal think tank founded by John Podesta. CAP, as the name suggests, has always billed itself as progressive but it’s also establishment, which means that in the era of DSA candidates it sometimes comes off as more centrist.
On that note, today CAP released a report/statement titled “Ending the Backlash on LGBTQI+ Issues.” That title sounds aggressive but the gist of the statement seems to be trying to find a way to triangulate (a Clintonian phrase) trans issues that are hurting the left at the polls.
Civil rights are inalienable; they exist independent of shifting parties in power or the latest polling results. A bedrock American principle is that people should not be harassed or targeted by the government for who they are.
At the same time, we must reckon with the defensive environment the LGBTQI+ community finds itself in. We all know there are differences between men and women. But right-wing attacks on LGBTQI+ issues have sought to drive back the gains made and have become a reliable feature of modern campaigns. The far right is spending hundreds of millions of dollars attacking not just transgender people but increasingly lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. These attacks on already vulnerable communities are dangerous and irresponsible. And the rhetoric and vitriol against transgender people reach beyond LGBTQI+ communities and seep into seemingly unrelated spaces.
Just a pause here because that second paragraph is really something. What are they saying? First they bring up the “defensive environment” which I think translates to ‘we’re getting our butts kicked.” Then there’s that random line about knowing the differences between men and women, as if that’s a given and not the core of the argument. Maybe it will make sense as we move on.
Most Americans do not rank LGBTQI+ issues at the top of their priority list. Yet much of the public still may want to know where leaders stand. We believe that we can support civil rights protections for all Americans, allow all people to live with dignity and respect, and uphold the basic value of equal treatment under the law.
It sounds like they’re going to propose a compromise everyone can live with.
Comprehensive LGBTQI+ nondiscrimination protections, such as those provided in the Equality Act, must be urgently passed. According to the 2024 CAP LGBTQI+ Community Survey, 36 percent of LGBTQI+ adults experienced discrimination the previous year. The community reported high rates of discrimination across all areas of life—for example, more than one-quarter of transgender people were discriminated against in the workplace.
What counts as discrimination here? Noticing someone is a man in a dress or that he is in the woman’s bathroom? It’s unclear. But here comes the first compromise.
Decisions about eligibility in athletics should be made by local school districts, communities, and sports associations that best understand the competitive demands of sports and their students’ needs. As is true for any eligibility requirements, localized sports policies will vary based on the level of competition and specific sport characteristics. The guidelines that support higher levels of competition may not be appropriate for middle school activities, and the policies that work for one sport may not be sufficient for another.
The NCAA recently promulgated a restriction on transgender women playing in women’s sports, a decision that it deemed appropriate for its level of competition and the sports it governs. Other associations, such as the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, have passed policies allowing students to participate according to their gender identity. This is where these decisions appropriately lie: with sports’ governing bodies or schools themselves rather than with politicians. While local bodies and associations should minimize unnecessary exclusion, restrictions may be appropriate under some circumstances.
That last phrase (put in bold by me) is the only compromise so far.
Decisions about whether or when minors access transgender medical care should be made by parents—not politicians. Like other medical care, transgender medical care is not one-size-fits-all. It refers to a suite of treatment options, and treatment plans are individualized and unique to each patient’s needs. This medical care is backed by extensive research, and every major medical association opposes bans on care for trans youth. Parental consent has always been and should be required for minors to receive ongoing transgender medical care.
Parents’ decisions about the types of treatments that transgender teens do—or do not—receive are complex, intensive, and they must be made by doctors and families together. Parents should certainly not be criminalized, nor should politicians overrule parents seeking medical care for their child. Parents know their child best, and politicians shouldn’t interfere with parents’ rights.
This is a talking point but there’s no compromise here. They want gender affirming care for kids, which means they oppose the bans that exist in 27 states.
There’s a section on trans people in the military which CAP supports. Then some blather about policy goals and finally this conclusion.
Families are healthier when they have access to stable housing and affordable health care. Workers are safer when they are protected from discrimination regardless of who they are or who they love. Our military is stronger when all who are qualified and dedicated can serve.
An inclusive future is a brighter future—and an attainable one. Leaders must stay the course, protecting all of our civil rights and holding tight to a vision where we all can thrive.
That’s it. There’s literally one line of compromise in this whole thing on an issue that polls show Democrats have clearly lost. Everything else is the far-left status quo. There’s nothing about self-ID or age appropriate medicalization of gender dysphoria. There’s nothing about trans women in women’s prisons or locker rooms. They’ve side-stepped a lot of the hot issues except for one (trans women in sports). And yet, CAP is patting itself on the back for lowering the temperature.
“We hope that this lowers the temperature and lets us come out of this really scary moment for folks,” said Caleb Smith, CAP’s director of LGBTQI+ policy, who is transgender and a co-author of the paper.
Despite this paper offering almost nothing but trans activism, it’s being criticized.
Charlotte Clymer, a transgender activist and writer, said Democrats who default to sports group rules are operating “under the false assumption” that those groups would make reasonable science-based decisions. “It’s a cop-out,” Clymer said.
In short, no compromise is possible. And truly, that’s how this works. If you differ from the high priests on this issue by one iota, you’re a heretic. And if you violate any of the sacred commands in public you might get this kind of response.
Trans Florida Student Arrested After Explosive Meltdown Over ‘Misgendering’ pic.twitter.com/wNbXiV3KvU
— New York Post (@nypost) July 21, 2026
CAP’s statement is a ridiculous failure if the goal was to show Democrats can be normal people.
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