14.02 / 18:33
Universities
ATHLETICS
students
inclusion
Transgender
Sporting
HER
Riley Gaines Feared for Her Life After Speaking Out Against Lia Thomas
Newsweek she feared for her life after speaking out over the participation of transgender women, whom she considers to be biological males, in women's sports.The swimmer, who hosts the Gaines for Girls podcast for sports media website OutKick, said she was physically assaulted, stalked and abused after becoming one of the most prominent campaigners against the inclusion of transgender athletes in female sporting competitions.In 2022, Gaines, then a University of Kentucky student, tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship. Thomas also won the 500-yard NCAA freestyle competition, making them the first transgender athlete in any sport to win a Division I national championship.Angered by the experience, which included sharing a changing room with Thomas, Gaines became politically active and has since taken her campaign against transgender inclusion in women's sport to university campuses, Congress and state legislatures.
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