Last week, former NCAA swimmer and 12-time All-American champ, Riley Gaines, was berated by protesters following her speech at San Francisco State University. She is now upset at soccer legend Megan Rapinoe for pushing back against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act while accusing her of “virtue signaling.”
Gaines reacted to a Rapinoe tweet from March where she, along with Sue Bird and others, signed an Athlete Ally letter to House lawmakers opposing the act. Gaines reacted to the tweet, which read, “Today, politicians in DC are claiming to ‘protect women’s sports’ by pushing a trans & intersex sports ban. Call your Congressional rep today to say women’s sports need protection from unequal pay, sexual abuse & lack of resources, NOT from trans kids.”
In response, Gaines wrote in a now-deleted tweet, “It’s worth noting that 1) you are done playing sports competitively and 2) because you aren’t sexually attracted to men, you will never have a daughter to defend. To me, this simply looks like virtue signaling because you have nothing to personally lose.”
Gaines criticized San Francisco State University for praising a “peaceful” protest where she alleges trans-activists attacked her after urging that transgender athletes be kept out of women’s sports. She has threatened legal action against the school for its alleged failure to help her after being attacked. Gaines claims she was punched twice by a transgender woman and was forced to barricade for hours in a classroom.
Despite this, Jamillah Moore, vice president for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, thanked students for their demonstration, stating, “It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space.”
The university police department is conducting an ongoing investigation into the protests.
Gaines, who competed against former UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas, has been vocal about her opposition to trans athletes participating in women’s sports.
