Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to criticism he received for comments he made about transgender peoples participation in sports. Buttigieg got mixed reactions for his discussion of transgender sports bans last month in an interview with NPRs Morning Edition. He said that the issue should be approached with compassion for transgender people and empathy for people who are not sure what all of this means for them. Related The Supreme Court will hear trans sports ban cases, which could spell doom for trans rights The conservative Court will have to decide if trans women are legally women. This could lead to segregation for trans people. He said that the issue raises serious fairness issues that pro-LGBTQ+ advocates should address but that the issue should ultimately be left up to sports leagues and school boards and not politicians least of all politicians in Washington trying to use this as a political pawn. He also said that there is nuance in the issue, that different sports may need different rules for transgender participation and that school sports are different from adult professional or amateur sports. He faced criticism from some on the left for saying that there are serious fairness issues at play here, while others praised his stance for laying out opposition to federal or blanket bans on trans people playing sports. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The issue came up again in a recent interview with TikTok influencer Aaron Parnas, who said that Buttigieg received some pushback within the Democratic Party.Whats your response to folks who say you kind of played into a wedge issue for Republicans, that this isnt an issue impacting the overwhelming majority of Americans and its one that ultimately kind of leaves trans Americans behind? Parnas asked.Well, again, I think we do need to lead with compassion on this, Buttigieg responded, saying that the issue is usually just brought up to divide. Its especially hurtful for trans people and people with transgender members of their family who witness themselves or people they love being used as a political football. And, look, there have always been attempts in politics to get ahead by demonizing or dismissing entire groups of people, he continued, adding that the current administration is demonizing one of the most vulnerable minorities in this country.Parents who have questions or people who wonder what this means, if this comes up, for example, in the context of a sports league that they or a family member is playing in Its extremely rare, but when it happens, theyre going to have questions about how to make sure that thats fair. And we should take those questions seriously and face those together.He then repeated that the issue should be handled by communities and by sports leagues and not by politicians.Buttigiegs response follows that from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who said in March that trans people participating in sports is deeply unfair. Newsom discussed the issue again in July, explaining more about how he came to that conclusion, admitting that it was good human beings as opposed to conservatives he talked to who were concerned about it and who pushed him to take a stance against trans peoples participation in sports. Newsom has a long record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and Buttigieg himself is gay, but the issue of sports participation seems to be one that prominent Democrats are either not discussing or taking a more conservative approach to. A 2024 YouGov poll asked adult Americans their positions on 20 different issues related to transgender peoples rights. Trans youths access to gender-affirming care and sports participation were the issues that got the least support from the public. Hate crimes protections, employment discrimination protections, and military service got the most support. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.