Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego’s remarks on transgender athletes spark backlash from LGBTQ+ community
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, once praised for his support of LGBTQ+ rights, is under fire from advocacy groups. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, once praised for his support of LGBTQ+ rights, is under fire from advocacy groups. (File photo by Kelechukwu Iruoma/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Attorney generals from 28 states sent a letter to the NCAA Tuesday urging the organization to strip records and titles from transgender women who competed in women’s collegiate sports.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes was not among the group, but at least one state politician still finds himself in the crosshairs of the debate. U.S. Sen. Rubén Gallego, once viewed as a staunch ally of Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community, is facing backlash after stating that transgender athletes should not participate in school sports aligning with their gender identity.
In a turnabout from his previous comments, Gallego, a Democrat, called concerns about fairness and safety in women’s sports “legitimate,” telling The Dispatch, “We love you. We want you to be part of our community, but this is just the one place you can’t play. Let’s find other activities for you to be involved in.”
Gallego argued that decisions about transgender athlete participation should be made by local school boards and athletic associations rather than the federal government. His comments align with a growing group of centrist Democrats who have expressed concerns about competitive fairness in youth athletics while maintaining support for transgender individuals in other areas of life.
Tuesday’s letter was signed by Republican attorneys general and stated that “there is no doubt that the women forced to compete against biological males in female events were impacted negatively and unfairly disadvantaged.”
LGBTQ+ groups react to Gallego
Advocacy groups that once supported Gallego’s campaigns swiftly condemned the senator’s remarks, calling them harmful to transgender youth.
Phoenix Pride, a Valley advocacy organization that was founded in 1981, said the comments were “hurtful” and “a betrayal,” warning that statements like Gallego’s can damage the self-esteem of transgender youth and contribute to mental health struggles.
“When our already vulnerable transgender youth need his protection, he has instead chosen to make comments that could easily lead individuals to self-harm or worse,” the organization said in a statement.
Urging leaders to prioritize inclusion over exclusion, Equality Arizona President Michael Soto said Gallego’s stance “align(ed) him with those who spread fear and misinformation for political gain.” Katelynn Contreras, a policy strategist with the ACLU of Arizona, said Gallego’s remarks “double down on a larger strategy to push transgender people out of public and civic life.”
Gallego is among a group of politicians that support transgender rights but worry about competitive fairness. He co-sponsored the Equality Act in the Senate this session and voted against the federal transgender sports ban put up by Republicans.
The debate about transgender athletes remain in the headlines. In the fall of 2024, the San Jose State women’s volleyball team forfeited a match in support of a transgender athlete’s participation. The incident led to walkouts and public statements by university officials defending the volleyball player and condemning what they described as “hateful and harmful attacks,” underscoring how debates over transgender inclusion in sports remain deeply divisive on campuses.
The debate also comes amid renewed scrutiny of Lia Thomas, the former University of Pennsylvania swimmer whose records were stripped by the school under new policies banning transgender women from competing in certain women’s categories. The ruling has drawn national attention, fueling discussions over fairness and inclusion in competitive sports.
Nationally, debates continue to intensify
Since 2020, 27 states have enacted laws banning transgender students from competing in sports aligned with their gender identity, a trend that has drawn legal challenges nationwide as debates escalate. In Arizona, a 2022 law barring transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams remains partially blocked after a federal court issued a preliminary injunction in 2024, leaving the measure in legal limbo as advocacy groups and lawmakers continue to clash over its implications for athletes.
Advocates argue that restricting transgender youth participation increases feelings of isolation among students who already face high rates of bullying and mental health challenges.
The country has seen a surge of anti-transgender legislation nationwide. On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping federal budget package that bans federal funding for gender-affirming care for both minors and adults under Medicaid, CHIP and the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits. The measure expands the scope of state-level restrictions and has intensified debates over access to medically necessary care. Gallego voted no on the “One Big Beautiful Bill”
Many medical experts and civil rights organizations warn that such measures would disproportionately affect low-income, BIPOC and transgender individuals, emphasizing that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and often lifesaving.
Phoenix Pride Executive Director Mike Fornelli said the organization felt “hurt and betrayed” after years of supporting Gallego’s campaigns and welcoming him at community events. Fornelli urged Gallego to “revise or retract his comments,” adding that public figures should “refrain from comment rather than risk the repercussions of their comments landing in the wrong ears.”
“At the very least, we must ensure that harmful messages are kept out of the ears and eyes of vulnerable kids who could hear or read them,” Fornelli said.
The ACLU of Arizona echoed calls for accountability, stating that excluding transgender students from sports “deprives them of opportunities available to their peers and sends the message they are not worthy or equal.”
Political implications in Arizona
Gallego’s remarks have struck a nerve in Arizona’s shifting political landscape, where he made history as the first Latino U.S. senator elected in the same cycle that saw the state favoring Trump’s re-election, reflecting broader ticket-splitting trends. Some LGBTQ+ advocates view the senator’s statements as part of a broader pattern in which Democrats express strong support for LGBTQ+ communities during campaigns but become less vocal when facing political backlash.
In the same interview with The Dispatch, Gallego reiterated that concerns about fairness and safety in women’s sports are “legitimate” and said decisions around transgender participation in athletics should be made by “local institutions” rather than the federal government, while affirming his support for transgender inclusion in other areas of life.
His comments arrive as debates over fairness, inclusion and identity continue to divide communities across the country. Advocates say restricting transgender athletes can deepen feelings of exclusion in spaces where community and belonging are formed.
As Gallego navigates his first term in the Senate, his stance on transgender athlete participation may become a defining moment for his political legacy and his relationship with Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.