Was there any more embarrassing of a moment in 2023 than California Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent turning of San Francisco into Beijing in order to fluff Chinese dictator Xi Jinping? Given Joe Biden is president, the answer is almost certainly yes, but still, Newsom's knee-bending was a close second. 

Obviously, the governor is desperately trying to boost his resume for a future presidential run. Whether that comes in 2024 or 2028 will depend on whether Biden makes it in the summer. In the meantime, Newsom's attempts at grabbing attention are getting dumber and dumber. 

The latest example of that comes via an assertion by Newsom that a Tennessee town banned "being gay in public." His evidence is an article written by the far-left New Republic. Here's how that article starts, and trust me, once we get into the details, you will be laughing out loud. 

A city in Tennessee is using a recently passed ordinance essentially prohibiting homosexuality in public to try to ban library books that might violate the new rules.

Now, is that probable to anyone given everything we know about current legal precedent? Anyone with a passing bit of intellectual honesty would immediately try to garner more context. Not Newsom, though. He just ran with it, and it wasn't long before community notes showed up to demolish him. 

You are well aware this isn't true. pic.twitter.com/Z2pBE5Fk5F

— Kyle Lamb (@kylamb8) November 17, 2023

Wait, you mean a small town in TN didn't actually ban being gay in public? Who could have guessed. pic.twitter.com/jcqCY1zxOT

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) November 17, 2023

So, what's the real story here? A city called Murfreesboro passed an ordinance that banned indecent exposure and sexual conduct in public spaces. That includes performing homosexual acts in public. To be clear, though, the law does not exempt heterosexual acts. They are just as banned.

Look, I'm no expert on the matter, given I have no experience with it, but I'm pretty sure that the core of gay identity is not stripping naked in public and doing sex stuff. I mean, yeah, the pride parades might give the opposite impression, but I'd still say that's not most gay people. 

I guess Newsom disagrees, though. According to his post, he believes that banning getting naked in public and doing sex stuff is actually "banning being gay in public." I'd suggest that's a pretty insulting viewpoint to hold, but hey, they do some crazy stuff out in California. 

The bigger problem for Newsom's career prospects is that this is a pattern. He tries to present himself as some kind of unstoppable political force who always knows what to say at the right time. Certainly, the press do their part in propping up that narrative. Yet, when you observe the governor in the wild, it's usually the opposite. He steps on his own feet consistently, and if he runs for president, his opponent is going to have ample fodder with which to attack him.