Riley Gaines rips USA Boxing: 'The safety of women has been compromised'
OutKick host Riley Gaines argues on 'The Faulkner Focus' that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is 'compromised' after he vetoed a bill that sought to ban gender affirming surgeries for minors and discusses USA Boxing's latest policy on transgender athletes.
OutKick host Riley Gaines joined "Faulkner Focus" to react to the new guidelines by USA Boxing that will allow transgender women to compete against biological women under certain circumstances. Gaines warned that the policy "compromises the safety of women" and does not represent progress.
RILEY GAINES: Of course, we all know this. I don’t even have to have a science degree to know this. This is basic common knowledge. And let me be the first to say women are not just a testosterone level. And we’re not just men who merely don’t have male genitalia, which is the policy that USA Boxing has in place now. Of course, we know in regard to this topic, we know about the unfair competition aspect. But the safety of women has been compromised by USA Boxing’s new policies and guidelines. And I think my biggest problem with this new implementation is that we are now glorifying men -- we’re calling them champions, we’re giving them titles, they’re winning prize money -- for punching women in the face. That’s the purpose of boxing or MMA, any fighting sport that requires physical contact like boxing does. We’re glorifying that. We’re calling it progressive. Make no mistake, this is not progress. This is not moving us in the positive, forward direction. This is incredibly regressive. This is taking us back in time and it’s utterly misogynistic.
Riley Gaines gives a speech at Penn State. (Riley Gaines)
USA Boxing says a fighter who transitioned from male to female can compete in the female category under several conditions spelled out in the rulebook:
- The boxer identifies as a female and has completed gender reassignment surgery.
- The fighter has undergone quarterly hormone testing and gives the organization documentation of hormone levels for a minimum of four years.
- The fighter’s testosterone levels have been below 5 nanomoles per liter 48 months before their first fight, the fighter’s total testosterone level must remain below 5 nmol/L through their eligibility to compete against females and the conditions will be monitored and tested at the fighter’s expense with a 12-month suspension for failing to meet the standards.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
