California Gov. Gavin Newsom says it’s unfair for transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. And he did it during a podcast with conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who is not exactly known as a promoter of Democratic candidates or causes. Given Newsom is widely regarded as a leading Democratic candidate for president in 2028 — and he’s the former mayor of San Francisco, the nearest thing to Ground Zero for the LGBTQ+ movement in the United States outside Greenwich Village — this raised more than a few eyebrows, particularly within his party.

Let’s be clear: Transgender athletics should not be a defining presidential issue in a world now grappling with war (trade and the other kind), economic stagnation, famine, pollution, poverty, loss of biodiversity, unemployment and on and on. Gender dysphoria, the distress in a person who finds a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity, is a real condition and a medical diagnosis that has existed for decades.

Why should anyone care about the impact of the tiny number of people in this uncommon circumstance on competitive athletics? Because it’s a popular talking point, even though the NCAA has estimated that there are fewer than 10 transgender individuals competing at the college level — or, perhaps more accurately, “were competing” given President Donald Trump’s executive order signed last month barring the practice of allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s or girls sports.

At the same time, though, we should be cautious to cast issues aside simply because they don’t impact much of the country. After all, individuals who advocate against policies tailored for transgender people often point to the relatively small transgender population as a reason for not needing custom policies. It’s a slippery slope. Just because a policy has a small impact now does not mean the same will be true in the future.

Republicans have attacked people who believe these folks have the right to compete in sports that align with their gender identity. Democrats see it as a matter of civil rights. The reason the GOP likes to raise this issue is because it works: Polls show a majority of Americans opposed transgender female athletes competing in women’s sports. And it isn’t especially close. In one recent New York Times-Ipsos survey, 79% of respondents took that position. Even among Democrats, more than two-thirds did, too.

So what’s a serious Democratic presidential contender to do? They can stick to their guns and win applause from the party’s progressive wing but perhaps doom Democrats from ever putting together an Electoral College majority in the foreseeable future. Or they can look to persuade more Americans to make accommodations — one compromise might be to set weight classes in contact sports like volleyball as is done in wrestling or youth football, for example. Volleyball is the sport where Payton McNabb, the young North Carolina woman whom President Donald Trump invited to his recent speech before Congress, was injured when a transgender opponent spiked a ball in her face during a high school match.

Yet neither approach seems to be where the majority of Americans stand right now. And while it’s fine to berate those who do not understand nor sympathize with transgender women — the Civil Rights Movement has seen its share of heated protests over the last century or so — it’s fair to wonder whether it will move public opinion very far, particularly when the average American has probably had little direct contact with this small group. What good does it do Democrats to be pure in their ideology but firmly on the sidelines when it comes time to set policies and write legislation?

Was it deep cynicism that caused Newsom to question the Democratic orthodoxy on transgender athletics or was it just a matter of reading the room? Or was it some combination of both? We are inclined to see a substantial amount of pragmatism here. And while it’s understandable that some LGBTQ+ groups have spoken out forcefully over Newsom’s comments, there’s something to be said for being on the 79% side and not the 21% side if you want to have influence in a democracy.

Right now, a lot of Republicans including President Trump have successfully caused a whole lot of their fellow Americans to dislike transgender individuals’ actions, especially when it comes to competing in sports. If Democrats are going to reinvent their party, or at least make it more competitive in light of how the GOP made gains by ostracizing queer people, they are going to have to follow Newsom’s lead and meet middle America where it stands today and not where they wish it would be.