RILEY GAINES: When a sportswoman dies at the hands of a male-born trans athlete – will Congress STILL call me a ‘transphobe’?

By James On Dec 9, 2023

Riley Gaines is a former NCAA swimmer, host of OutKick's Gaines For Girls podcast and ambassador for Independent Women's Forum.

When someone resorts to name-calling, it's usually because he knows he's fighting a losing battle.

They childishly attack their opponent, instead of trying to argue with clear facts.

But it was particularly shocking to witness — and be the target of — such low-level mudslinging in Congress, the beating heart of American democracy.

During a committee hearing on the impact of men's inclusion in women's sports earlier this week, Democratic “Squad” member Summer Lee launched an extraordinary preemptive strike in her opening statement.

“We'll probably be forced to listen to transphobic bigotry,” she warned nonchalantly, as if her one-sided opinion were the indisputable truth.

I was shocked.

How dare a sitting member of Congress label as hateful fanatics those who have come to speak about their own experiences and stand up for women's rights – despite the grave risk of death threats and physical violence.

“We'll probably be forced to listen to transphobic bigotry,” she warned nonchalantly, as if her one-sided opinion were the indisputable truth. I was shocked. How dare a sitting member of Congress label as hateful fanatics those who have come to speak about their own experiences and stand up for women's rights – despite the grave risk of death threats and physical violence.

And so, when I was finally allowed to speak, I responded.

If I was “transphobic,” then Lee's opening monologue — in which she defended the right of male-born individuals to compete and capture women's sporting titles — made her a “misogynist.”

It was a quick joke in self-defense, but it's also painfully true.

Lee and the rest of the Democrats in the room went into a tailspin.

She dramatically stopped the hearing and demanded that my answer be struck from the record – typical of the one-way censorship demanded by trans extremists.

Should women now not only be excluded from our own sport, but erased from the debate entirely?

Fortunately, Lee's request was unsuccessful. Congressional records still show her to be a misogynist.

How did it come to this?

Why is it politically expedient for the left to prioritize the whims of the transgender lobby – a small but vocal minority – over the rights of millions of women and girls in every sphere, from sports to safety in prisons, domestic violence shelters, chambers and health institutions.

Far too few people are willing to take a public stand. I don't blame people. The daily harassment I have endured since I first spoke out against trans swimmer Lia Thomas in early 2022 has been difficult to endure.

But I refuse to be silent. I have put aside my plans to become a dentist and have instead dedicated myself to defending women for as long as it takes.

But why, you might rightly ask, would it take a 23-year-old woman to hold our leaders accountable when so much is at stake?

For example, why doesn't the world participate in a round of condemnation of… That shocking cycling podium this week?

Two men – Tessa Johnson and Evelyn Williamson – are unapologetically masculine, standing proud in first and second place in the women's Single Speed category at the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships on Sunday.

The only woman on the podium won bronze.

Why doesn't the world join in this week in a round of condemnation of that shocking cycling podium? Two men – Tessa Johnson and Evelyn Williamson – are unapologetically masculine, standing proud in first and second place in the women's Single Speed category at the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships on Sunday.

Is this what the feminist movement has been fighting for?

Because two men on top of a women's podium seems to me the perfect embodiment of the oppressive patriarchy that leftists love to shout about.

What hope is there for young sportswomen – like I once was – who have spent their lives training tirelessly, missing social events, eating carefully and chasing success within a narrow window of opportunity?

Author: Riley Gaines

How can their mothers and grandmothers look them in the eye and honestly tell them that hard work pays off?

Many people will know my story by now when I played at the NCAA Championships last year with 6-foot-1 Thomas, who had swum on a men's team three years earlier.

I was denied the trophy and told it was crucial that Thomas be seen holding it for the cameras. Even though I achieved the exact same time, I had to go home empty-handed.

Would I have sacrificed so much if I had known that my success would be taken away from me so cruelly? Absolutely not.

But this isn't just about dishonesty, it's about a serious threat to women's safety.

In non-contact sports such as swimming, the participants – just like in many cycling events – remain on their own lane, so they pose little risk to each other. Maybe that's what makes it so easy for hardliners like Representative Lee to mock my testimony in Congress.

But what about contact sports?

The disturbing headlines are already trickling in.

In 2021, images of trans MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin putting Celine Provost in a chokehold and Provost's blood smeared on the floor shocked the world.

In 2022, 18-year-old Payton McNabb suffered debilitating head and neck injuries after a trans student punched her in the face during a volleyball match in North Carolina.

More than a year later, McNabb is still recovering; he suffers from impaired vision and partial paralysis.

In 2021, images of trans MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin putting Celine Provost in a chokehold and Provost's blood smeared on the floor shocked the world.

In 2022, 18-year-old Payton McNabb suffered debilitating head and neck injuries after a trans student punched her in the face during a volleyball match in North Carolina. More than a year later, McNabb is still recovering; he suffers from impaired vision and partial paralysis. (Photo: Lia Thomas).

When will it be enough?

How many female athletes have to suffer at the hands of biological males? If injuries like McNabb's cannot stop this march of madness, will we have to – God forbid – suffer a death before our case is heard?

In less than a month we will be in another Olympic year. And as we look to Paris in July, I have no doubt that we will witness many more trans athletes like Laurel Hubbard – the New Zealand weightlifter who competed in the women's category at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games – taking the places and take stages. of real women.

All polls show that an overwhelming silent majority understands this madness and sees it for what it is.

My appeal to women everywhere is that silence now means complicity. It's time we all call out the misogynists.