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Former University of Kentucky student and 12-time All-American swimmer with 5 SEC titles, Riley Gaines, ended up in a position she didn’t expect post-graduation.
Gaines was planning to continue her education to become a dentist, but her life changed after finding herself in the awkward and unusual position of sharing a locker room and competing with a biological male in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship.
She states on her website that the events of that time were her “call to action.” She has been fighting for girls and women in sports ever since.
In speaking with Fox News Digital this week, Gaines said, “We have to have girls who, when the whistle blows, they don’t run, they don’t swim. They stand up on the block and they don’t go.”
While that doesn’t seem fair at all, it is the only way the practice of allowing boys and men to compete in women’s sports is going to end.
Gaines recognizes this. She said, “It’s unfortunate, of course, to ask women to make that sacrifice because these are their sports — they should be entitled to playing. They shouldn’t have to give up anything to want changes and to get changes.”
“We’re seeing males infiltrate into women’s sports and spaces and win, and take away opportunities for women. And we’re not seeing that the other way around,” she said.
“How can we put women in this position to where they’re losing out and there’s nothing they can do about it?”
“How many girls have to be injured playing against a male? How many girls have to feel violated in the locker room?” she asked.
“People all across the political spectrum are realizing … this whole gender ideology propaganda movement is specifically harmful to women and children.”
“We need parents to defend their daughters and sons,” she continued.
“We need athletic directors, we need medical professionals to speak up and address the science behind it — how male puberty affects the body and the differences that it allows men to have in comparison to women.”
Gaines seems to be alone in this fight. Both U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe and WNBA star Brittney Griner defended biological males who identify as females participating in women’s sports.
This week Gaines started calling out famous female athletes via Twitter to try to gain some support for women in sports.
She tweeted:
“Each day for the next week I’m going to call on well-known female athletes to take a stance on this issue because silence is complicity … we need their voices. Day 1: Serena Williams, Venus Williams: how do you feel about males competing against women?”
“Please tag them so it can’t be ignored! Again, the silence is deafening.”
So.Cal.Patriot tweeted “Staying silent evidences these Champions of WOMEN’S Sports, @serenawilliams and @Venuseswilliams have Zero Integrity!!! Stay strong @Riley_Gaines, you are fighting for my 5 and 8-year-old daughters!!!
In the days following, Gaines called on former mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey and college basketball players who competed in the National Championship this year, Caitlin Clark and Reese Angel.
As of this writing, Gaines has, sadly, not received a response from any of the athletes.
