Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles goes head-to-head with probably the most vocal opponents of transgender women and girls competing in feminine sports activities, former faculty swimmer Riley Gaines.
Biles — essentially the most embellished Olympic gymnast is historical past — known as the previous faculty athlete “sick” and a “sore loser” in a post on X Friday evening.
“You have to be uplifting the trans group and maybe discovering a strategy to make sports activities inclusive OR creating a brand new avenue the place trans really feel protected in sports activities,” Biles, 28, wrote. “Possibly a transgender class IN ALL sports activities!!”
“However as a substitute… You bully them,” Biles continued. “One issues for positive is nobody in sports activities is protected with you round!!!!!”
As a university swimmer, Gaines tied for fifth place in a contest with then-College of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who’s transgender, in 2022.
Since then, Gaines has largely constructed a profession as a pundit in conservative media advocating against trans women competing in female sports, arguing that it’s unfair to incorporate them in competitors and their inclusion is at occasions unsafe for different rivals.
Gaines, 25, has additionally constructed an infinite following on social media, with over 1.5 million followers on X, the place she repeatedly lambastes and mocks transgender athletes.
On Friday, Gaines posted an image of a Minnesota ladies highschool baseball crew, which supposedly features a trans participant. She appeared to taunt the participant, referring to her as a boy, which seems to have elicited Biles’ response.
Gaines nearly instantly responded to Biles’ criticism in a collection of posts on X.
“That is so disappointing. My take is the least controversial tackle the planet,” Gaines wrote. “Simone Biles being a male-apologist on the expense of younger ladies’ goals? Didn’t have that on my bingo card.”
The problems of trans women and girls competing in feminine sports activities has develop into a lightning rod subject in america in recent times.
In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to ban transgender girls and ladies from competing in feminine sports activities.
Earlier than that, not less than 27 states already had legal guidelines, rules or insurance policies banning transgender students from participating in sports in line with their gender identities, in keeping with the Motion Development Mission, an LGBTQ suppose tank.
