Former Vice President Kamala Harris says that, despite her \u201cdeep connection\u201d to the trans community, she still holds \u201cconcerns\u201d about their inclusion in sport.<\/p>\n
In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, 107 Days by Kamala Harris<\/em> \u2013 which offers insight into her 2024 presidential campaign against Donald Trump \u2013 the politician reflects on her stance on trans rights.<\/p>\n Harris writes that she has \u201cbeen an ally of the LGBTQ+ community for my entire life,\u201d noting the disproportionate violence faced by trans people and warning that Trump\u2019s anti-trans rhetoric \u201cwas painting a bulls-eye on their backs and putting them in peril.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a community with which I have a deep connection,\u201d says Harris, who ultimately gained 86% of the LGBTQIA+ vote in the election, with support higher among LGBTQIA+ people of colour. \u201cThere was no way I was going to go against my very nature and turn on transgender people.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s campaign memorably commissioned a series of advertisements with the tagline: \u201cKamala is for they\/them\/ I am for you\u201d \u2013 a line that proved effective in shifting momentum in his favour.<\/p>\n Although Harris refuted the idea that Trump\u2019s ad was a \u201cknockout punch\u201d against her campaign, she acknowledges that it succeeded as a \u201cwinning message\u201d and admitted her own campaign should have \u201cgiven even more attention to how we might mitigate Trump\u2019s attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n As Sarah McBride, the first openly trans member of Congress, explained: \u201cIt was the concept in that line \u2013 that Kamala Harris, according to the ad, was for a small group of people, and Donald Trump was there for \u2018you\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite her earlier comments, Harris says in her memoir that she agrees \u201cwith the concerns expressed by parents and players that we have to take into account biological factors such as muscle mass and unfair student athletic advantage when we determine who plays on which teams, especially in contact sports.<\/p>\n \u201cWith goodwill and common sense, I believe we can come up with ways to do this, without vilifying and demonizing children.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n