Former University of Kentucky All-American swimmer Riley Gaines held a lecture in the Bay Area earlier this month, sharing her first-hand experiences and discussing the unfairness of transgender athletes in women’s sports, encouraging people to fight for basic rights and justice.
Riley Gaines graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2023 and is currently studying at a dental school.
Gaines is one of the fastest swimmers in American history, qualifying for the Olympic trials twice. She began swimming at the age of four and continued until she graduated at the age of 22, dedicating a total of 18 years to the sport. During this time, she competed in 12 NCAA national swimming competitions, won five Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, and held the SEC butterfly championship and record.
Gaines expressed that the time and effort she put into achieving these accomplishments are indescribable. “Athletes and parents here know what it takes,” she said. “I spent six hours in the water every day, from 5 am to 8 am, then went to classes, and practiced from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Dinner, homework, bedtime, and repeat the same routine the next day.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed, and Gaines returned to her home in Tennessee. With swimming pools and gyms closed in Tennessee, Gaines trained at lakes every day to maintain her strength and prayed for continuous improvement. In her junior year, she won her first SEC individual championship and ranked seventh nationally. She then set a goal for her senior year: to win the national championship.
Gaines noted that she is very familiar with outstanding swimmers throughout the United States, as athletes are typically introduced to each other at competitions since childhood. However, the sudden emergence of Lia Thomas, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, surprised Gaines.
Lia Thomas, formerly known as William Thomas, was a member of the men’s swimming team from his freshman to junior year.
In 2021, Thomas joined the women’s team in his senior year, transforming from being ranked 462nd in the men’s swimming team in 2017 to becoming a top female swimmer. She broke school records in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, and 1,650-yard freestyle, claiming multiple championships and setting new national records.
Gaines pointed out that Thomas excelled across a wide range of swimming distances, leading in events from the 100-yard freestyle to the mile freestyle, akin to being the best sprinter and long-distance runner simultaneously. Gaines expressed her astonishment at this unusual achievement.
In March 2022, Thomas won the women’s championship in the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Swimming Championship and tied with Gaines for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle.
Gaines stated that the participation of transgender athletes in competitions has negatively impacted herself, teammates, and competitors. She emphasized that while she cannot speak for every female athlete, she represents the vast majority of female athletes.
She witnessed the tears of girls who missed out on national championships, as well as the tears of many others, including mothers and fans. Despite tying with Thomas for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle, the trophy was awarded to Thomas. During her speech, Gaines shared that her heart was racing, and her adrenaline was soaring. She deeply felt the violation and unfairness of the situation.
Gaines also mentioned that Thomas made locker room users feel “extremely uncomfortable.” She described how seeing a tall, 6-foot, 22-year-old man naked in such close proximity as she changed was unsettling and felt like a betrayal and a violation.
She struggled to articulate the vulnerability she felt as a female swimmer when she turned her back to someone changing in the locker room. Suddenly, hearing a man’s voice in the locker room, every girl hurriedly covered themselves with towels, clothes, or hands, and quickly left the room.
Gaines revealed that she and her teammates were compelled to undergo sensitivity training, using “she” pronouns for Thomas, and “he” pronouns for Iszac Henig, a female-to-male transgender athlete.
Henig, formerly known as Izzi Henig, was a member of the Yale University women’s swimming team and ranked fifth nationally in the 100-yard freestyle. Gaines stated that now, as a transgender male competing against men, Henig consistently finishes last and falls far short of NCAA standards. The only male athlete she managed to defeat this year was a one-armed man.
In conclusion, Gaines highlighted the detrimental effects of transgender athletes’ participation on herself, fellow athletes, and the integrity of women’s sports. She called for a fair and level playing field to uphold the integrity of competitive sports, protect the rights of female athletes, and ensure fairness in sporting competitions.