Sports

‘Blatantly Obvious’: Riley Gaines Explains Why She Believes Women Fear Speaking Out Against Trans Athletes

Riley Gaines explained why more women fear speaking out against trans athletes. [Screenshot/X/Riley_Gaines_]

[Screenshot/X/Riley_Gaines_]

Julianna Frieman Contributor
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Former competitive swimmer and women’s activist Riley Gaines explained Sunday why she believes women fear speaking out against transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Gaines attached a video responding to comments from her Saturday post on X against a male volleyball player whose scholarship was rescinded by his college after he attempted to play on the women’s team by concealing his biological sex.

“I get asked all the time,” Gaines said. “Why aren’t more female athletes defending themselves to the mistreatment and injustice of allowing men into their sports and into their spaces like their locker rooms?”


Gaines described her own experiences speaking out against men on women’s sports teams, stating that she had drinks poured on her, glass bottles thrown at her, and she’s been spit on. She also mentioned death threats, people showing up at her house, and drones flying above her house.

“I’ve been assaulted and held for ransom for four hours when these protestors demanded that if I wanted to make it home to see my family safely again, I had to pay them money. The list goes on,” Gaines said.

Gaines directed attention to the comments on her original social media post to exemplify the “blatantly obvious” reason why women are “scared” to speak out. She said that “the threats, the risks, they’re very real, and I’ve seen them play out.”

“Let’s just read a few of my favorites,” Gaines said as one comment appeared in front of her on screen. “This one says, ‘I hope you get hung by your pubes and kicked in the jaw so you choke on your teeth.’”

“This is a classic tactic of what they like to do,” Gaines continued, showing a second comment. “‘If this young woman hurts herself, I blame you.’ Basically telling, putting the burden of someone else’s internal torment on us, as young women and girls, and telling us that we will have blood on our hands for simply saying the truth.”

“The tolerant and inclusive crowd strike again,” Gaines said jokingly. (RELATED: ‘Clapping Like A Trained Seal’: Riley Gaines Slams Pro-Transgender Female Athlete As A ‘Traitor To Women’)

Gaines, who spoke out after competing against male athlete Lia Thomas at the NCAA swimming championship, noted that “petty, personal attacks” like name-calling are used because proponents of men in women’s sports “can’t dissuade from [her] argument with logic, or reasoning, or fact, or science.”

“No name anyone can call me will possibly deter me from speaking the truth because I don’t need someone else’s affirmation to stand unapologetically and firmly because I’m secure enough with myself,” Gaines said.