Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines has faced her share of extreme resistance to her deeply-held beliefs on transgender issues facing women’s sports in recent years.
Protesters have tried to shout her down. She’s been spat on. People have tried to cancel her speaking events. At San Francisco State University, Gaines recently shared, she was physically assaulted by an angry mob. She was punched by a man in a dress, but “fortunately, he was unable to hit me very hard,” she said. She also shared how she was once locked in a classroom and held for ransom for over three hours.
But none of it has seemed to slow Gaines down.
“When they want you silent, speak louder,'” said 23-year-old Gaines, who was the featured speaker at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia, which hosted a Friends and Family Weekend March 15–16 for students, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees and partners.
University President Emir Caner referred to Gaines as a Christian culture warrior who has become a powerful, outspoken proponent of reserving women’s sports for biological females.
Taking the high ground
Unlike some of the hostile receptions she has received, Riley repeatedly expressed gratitude for the gracious reception she received during her visit to TMU.
While in college, Riley dreamed of pursuing a dental degree, but her life was significantly altered when she was forced to share a locker room and then compete against biological male Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship. Since then, she has sought to be a voice of truth in a chaotic society and has often been referred to as a champion for integrity in the world of sports.
When Riley discovered that Lia Thomas, (formerly Will Thomas), a 6’ 4” 22-year-old male had been granted the privilege to compete in the NCAA Championships, she recoiled in disbelief, but commented, “It had nothing to do with being transphobic. It was amazing to me that the sport had gotten to this point. People failed to see the gravity of it.”
Riley went on to tie Thomas in the 200-meter freestyle. The judge declared it a tie, but awarded the trophy to Thomas for the photo opportunities that would highlight a biological male winning a national title in a female sport.
Riley explained, “That is what thrust me into this position of no longer being willing to lie. That is what they were asking us to do. When they were asking us to smile and happily step aside and allow these men to step on our podiums and take our scholarships, our opportunities and our titles, that was asking us to lie.”
She noted, “We spent our whole lives training to be the best in women’s sports, then told we would have to compete against a man — and essentially told to celebrate his victory. And asking us not to feel uncomfortable by having this man undressing inches away from us.”
Responsibility
When Riley was asked to appear before a House panel on protecting girls’ sports, she had an interesting exchange with a congresswoman who called Riley and those who protest biological males playing in women’s sports “transphobic.”
Riley commented, “Many people in high government positions deny what it is to be a woman. They can’t even say what a woman is. And we have a sitting Supreme Court justice who won’t say what a woman is because she is ‘not a biologist,’ which is so silly. You don’t have to be a biologist to know what a woman is. I am not a veterinarian, but I know what a dog is.”
Riley indicated that she was waiting for someone to come on the scene to protect women athletes and fight for the integrity of women’s sports: a coach, an official, a parent, but soon realized that if the women in sports did not stick up for themselves, no one else would.
Gaines explained, “After graduating from the University of Kentucky, I could have ridden off into the sunset, but that was not God’s plan for my life.”
Through it all, Riley declares that she has been spiritually awakened, stating, “I have seen how God is moving, how He has His hand on me, but I have also seen how His opposition works and moves through people. It is plaguing this country. And I think we can all agree that this is a spiritual battle.”
To read full story, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was edited for length, brevity and originally written by J. Gerald Harris and first published by The Christian Index.
