Riley Gaines has been among those who have been fighting to keep women’s sports fair and equal, and on Monday, she had words for those who want to make the space more inclusive.
Gaines appeared on “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” and talked about the female athletes who have come out in favor of transgender women competing against biological females in sports. The former NCAA swim star at Kentucky has been outspoken about the issue since Lia Thomas emerged as a champion during the 2021-22 season.
Brittney Griner was the latest star athlete to support transgender participation in sports. The Phoenix Mercury center called it “a crime honestly to separate someone for any reason.” Megan Rapinoe was among the current and former athletes who signed a letter to voice their opposition to the Protection of Girls and Women in Sports Act.
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“It just blows my mind you have people like Brittney Griner, you have someone like Megan Rapinoe and those 37 other athletes that signed on, you have someone like Billie Jean King who was once a crusader for women’s sports. We really have Billie Jean King to credit for Title IX. And these women are now coming out, and, of course, they’re either done playing or at the end of their career. And of course, none of these three ladies I mentioned, they don’t have daughters to defend,” Gaines told Tafoya.
Brittney Griner, #42 of the Phoenix Mercury, speaks to the media on April 27, 2023, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. (Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty Images)
“So, hearing them advocate for male inclusion in women’s sports in women’s spaces, like locker rooms, it’s just disingenuous. It’s, to me, again knowing these women are done playing for on the verge or on the verge of being done playing, they have nothing to lose. They would rather be kind, and inclusive and virtue signal but in reality it’s not inclusive to allow men into our sports. It’s exclusive. It’s exclusive to the very female athletes who Title IX was passed to protect.”
Gaines also cleared of any misnomers about the bills that she was backing at the federal and state levels. The legislations would prevent transgender athletes from competing against the gender they identify as.
“And I want to touch on the misconception you mentioned about, you know, something that I’ve seen time and time again traveling state to state like I’m doing right now – both at the federal and state level,” she said. “We saw at the federal level last week when the U.S. House of Representatives voted on this and not one Democrat voted in favor of protecting women and girls.
RILEY GAINES CALLS BRITTNEY GRINER’S REMARKS ON TRANSGENDER ATHLETE PARTICIPATION ‘HEARTBREAKING’
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, left, and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“What they constantly say is this is a hate bill, it bans trans athletes from playing. Just like you mentioned, this does not ban anyone. I do not believe anyone, regardless of your age, your race, your sex, your gender identity, your sports you’re playing – no one should be banned from playing sports. That’s the silliest assumption ever. Everyone is entitled to fair and safe play and that’s exactly what these state bills that’s exactly what Title IX was passed to protect and these federal bills that are going through. That’s what this argument is about. It’s fairness.”
Last month, the Biden administration released a proposal to amend Title IX in order to set out a standard that would “govern a recipient’s adoption or application of sex-related criteria that would limit or deny a student’s eligibility to participate on a male or female athletic team consistent with their gender identity.”
The proposed regulation also would provide needed clarity on how schools can ensure that students have equal opportunity to participate on male and female athletic teams as required by Title IX.
The proposed amendment provides that any transgender athlete denied or limited the opportunity to participate in a sport that is consistent with their gender identity must be “substantially related to the achievement of an important educational objective” and “minimize harms to students.”
On April 20, the House voted to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act 219-203. All the yeas came from Republicans.
SEC champion swimmer Riley Gaines speaks during the general session at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas. (August 6, 2022. REUTERS/Go Nakamura)
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Republicans defended the bill as an attempt to spare women and girls from having to compete against transgender women and girls — biological males who can sometimes dominate these sports and prevent some female athletes from making the team. However, several Democrats argued in debate that the GOP bill is an extension of the bullying that transgender students are already facing at school.
Fox News’ Joshua Q. Nelson and Peter Kasperowicz contributed to this report.
