Riley Gaines says ‘Title IX literally means nothing’ as trans swimmer at New Jersey liberal arts college, Meghan Cortez-Fields, smashes ANOTHER women’s record after competing in men’s team for three years
A transgender swimmer at a liberal arts college in New Jersey has broken another women’s record after three years on the men’s team.
Meghan Cortez-Fields finished the 200 IM with a time of 2:08:20, breaking program records at the NJAC Championships, New Jersey’s Ramapo College announced.
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines quickly called out the senior, who stated: Title IX “literally means nothing.”
“A Ramapo College male swimmer sets another school record for the women. “Now tell me again what progress women have made when society applauds a man for pushing us off our own stage,” Gaines said on X Friday night.
Gaines, an ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum known for her outspoken stance against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, added, “Title IX literally means nothing at this point.”
Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields finished the 200 IM with a time of 2:08:20, breaking program records in the NJAC Championships
Cortez-Fields (far left) has been in the spotlight since November 2023 for breaking her school’s record after moving from the men’s team
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was quick to call out the senior, saying, “Title IX literally means nothing.”
Cortez-Fields was in the spotlight a few months ago as she broke her school’s record after switching from the men’s team in November 2023.
The senior broke the Ramapo College record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57:22, which earned her first place.
She also took first place in the 200-meter individual medley and second in the 200-meter butterfly at the Cougar Splash Invitational, a two-day meet between six schools in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
The swimmer was initially congratulated on social media by her school after her win on Saturday, but the post was deleted after a backlash led by Gaines.
Gaines said Cortez-Fields had gone from a “less than mediocre male swimmer to a record breaker competing against the women.”
“Those who choose to remain blind to the injustice of allowing mediocre male athletes to become record-breaking female athletes are either incompetent or misogynistic,” she told Fox News at the time. ‘There is no more middle ground.
“Women are being asked to smile and step aside and allow these men onto our teams, while at the same time depriving us of our opportunities, privacy and safety.”
She also claimed that a tattoo on Cortez-Fields’ body, showing a naked woman with male genitalia, was evidence of a “fetishistic and sexualized movement.”
“As a Christian, I believe we are all made in the image of God, and this is a mockery of that,” she added.
Cortez-Fields, from College Station, Texas, had competed for Ramapo’s men’s team for three seasons before moving to the women’s squad.
Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields broke Ramapo College’s women’s 100-meter butterfly, taking first place after moving from the men’s team
The chemistry major also claimed first place in the 200-meter individual medley and second in the 200-meter butterfly at the Cougar Splash Invitational in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
Cortez-Fields had competed with Ramapo’s men’s team for three seasons before moving to the women’s team
After she got out, she started swimming with tape on her chest because the men’s section wouldn’t allow her to cover her top half and she found it “very uncomfortable and quite inhumane” to swim without a top.
The chemistry major is one of Ramapo’s first openly transgender athletes and counts transgender swimmer Lia Thomas among her heroes.
NCAA swimmer Thomas has faced similar criticism after winning in the women’s categories, despite previously competing on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swimming team.
In March 2022, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I swimming event with a victory in the women’s 500-meter freestyle.
“I felt so bad for her because I know exactly what she was going through,” Cortez told The Ramapo News.
“Even going into this season, I was scared to pass because I don’t want what happened to her to happen to me.”
Cortez-Fields has won at least one heat in three of the four so far this year.
Her victory sparked a backlash from NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, among others, who called the win “an injustice.”
Cortez-Fields is one of Ramapo’s only openly trans athletes and cites fellow trans swimmer Lia Thomas as an inspiration
She beat fellow 100-meter butterfly competitor Jennifer Scott to first place at the time by 2:59 seconds.
A spokesperson for Ramapo said, “The NCAA has an eligibility policy for transgender students and as an NCAA affiliate, Ramapo College complies with all NCAA policies.
“Meghan has been cleared by the NCAA as she meets the requirements to swim on the women’s team.
“Ramapo College supports all of its students and student-athletes. We are deeply concerned about the threatening messages and misinformation being shared on social media that are impacting not only Meghan, but also teammates and classmates.”
‘The original Instagram post on the RCNJ swimming account received numerous congratulations and positive comments as soon as the post was made. The tone changed overnight to one of threatening and vulgar comments, after which the account manager, a colleague of the team, deleted the post to protect Meghan, the team and other members of the Ramapo community.”