Garden State Equality Action Fund responds to anti-trans remarks from NJ Senator Paul Sarlo

The Deputy Majority Leader’s talk show comments fail trans people and student-athletes in particular

ASBURY PARK, NJ — An interview from fall 2024 has recently resurfaced where New Jersey Senator Paul Sarlo failed transgender people in New Jersey during his appearance on “State of Aff airs with Steve Adubato.” As Deputy Majority Leader and an New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Executive Committee Member, his comments parroted harmful conservative rhetoric and ignored the inclusive policies NJSIAA has upheld since 2009 of allowing trans student-athletes to compete with their peers without issue.

Senator Sarlo’s statement — particularly his invocation of the argument that “males should not be participating in women’s sports” — is troubling not just for its harmful rhetoric, but also for its lack of clarity and nuance. While he did not explicitly state that transgender women should be excluded from women’s sports, such language perpetuates the lived and legal exclusion and discrimination faced by transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse athletes and non-athletes alike.

If Senator Sarlo truly believes that transgender women are women, then his statement should align with the inclusive policies New Jersey and NJSIAA have upheld for over a decade. Policies that have existed without issue, until anti-LGBTQ+ conservatives decided to go after those most vulnerable to distract from real issues. Unfortunately, the ambiguity in his remarks risks being weaponized by those who seek to further marginalize transgender people, fueling unnecessary division.

The reality is clear: trans inclusion in sports has never been a problem, not in New Jersey, nor in any league or at any skill level. For more than a decade, the NJSIAA’s policy has fostered fairness and inclusion, with zero disruptions. Framing this issue as a crisis is not about protecting fairness; it’s about creating division at the expense of vulnerable young people.

Further, since this interview has taken place, national polling consistently shows that transgender issues have little to no impact on voter turnout. It’s clear that framing these discussions as political crises is a distraction from the real issues affecting voters.

Given the resurgence of this video, we call on Senator Sarlo to clarify his remarks and reaffi rm his commitment to inclusion, equity, and respect for transgender people and students specifi cally.
Transgender people, and youth in particular, simply want the chance to belong, and it is our shared responsibility as leaders to ensure their humanity is recognized and their dignity protected.
Prior to releasing this statement, Garden State Equality reached out to Senator Sarlo directly. His offi ce had not yet responded by time of publication.

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Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in New Jersey, lifts up the diverse voices