Only One Democratic White House Hopeful Is Willing To Say The Truth About Trans People

When Axios asked about the transgender athletes debate — an issue that has haunted the party for the last year — only one Democrat offered a straight answer.

Axios asked 20 potential Democratic contenders for the 2028 presidential race to respond to three questions: “Should transgender girls be able to participate in girls’ sports?” “Do you believe transgender youths under age 18 should be able to be placed on puberty blockers and hormones?” And what is your response to the question: “Can a man become a woman?” Most did not respond, and of the three who did, only one was straightforward.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told Axios that his position is the same as it was when Megyn Kelly interviewed him. Emanuel had told Kelly he didn’t think a man could become a woman or that men should play in women’s sports. (RELATED: Harris’ VP Pick Said It Was ‘Completely Unacceptable’ For Trump To Bar Transgender People From Military)

He also told Kelly that children under 18 are too young to decide whether they should receive sex transition procedures and treatments. The former mayor added that he didn’t think biological males should be in women’s prisons.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, California Rep. Ro Khanna and California Gov. Gavin Newsom either declined to comment or did not respond to Axios.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded by referring Axios to his remarks on an NPR podcast, where he had commented on Emanuel’s interview with Kelly.

“I think the approach starts with compassion — compassion for transgender people, compassion for families, especially young people who are going through this — and also empathy for people who are not sure what all of this means for them, like wondering, wait a minute; I got a daughter in a sports league. Is she going to be competing with boys right now?” Buttigieg said in July. “And I think when you do that, that does call into question some of the past orthodoxies in my party, for example, around sports, where I think most reasonable people would recognize that there are serious fairness issues if you just treat this as not mattering when a trans athlete wants to compete in women’s sports.”

Buttigieg’s spokesperson did not answer Axios’ other questions.

LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 16: Pete Buttigieg shakes hands with an attendee after a town hall he led at the La Crosse Center on January 16, 2026 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kayla Wolf/Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro also responded, referring Axios to Shapiro’s December interview with The Atlantic.

When asked about Emanuel’s comments opposing men in women’s sports, The Atlantic notes that Shapiro rolled his eyes.

“I think you gotta go meet people where they are. I’ve been very clear with that. I’ll go on anything; I’ll talk to anybody. But you also have to, like, remain true to yourself,” Shapiro told The Atlantic. “Just ’cause you go on a conservative podcast doesn’t mean that you can cosplay a conservative politician. You gotta remain true to your values.”

Sports officials, not politicians, should make the rules, he added.

“Look, I think it’s a tough deal being born into the wrong body. And I don’t think these kids deserve to be persecuted and bullied by the president of the United States. I also don’t think they deserve an unfair advantage on the playing field,” he told the outlet when pressed on whether his personal views differed from his political ones.

The transgender issue, widely seen as an 80-20 political loser, cost Harris votes during the 2024 presidential election, multiple reports claimed. Trump spent at least $17 million on an ad highlighting her position with the tagline, “Kamala is for they/them. I am for you.” Since then, Democrats have yet to offer a firm stance on the issue.