Riley Gaines reacts to House passing women's sports bill: 'I feel grateful'
Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines joins 'The Faulkner Focus' to discuss House Republicans' legislation barring transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
Editor's note: This column was adapted from an essay that first appeared on Outkick.com.
On March 4, I wrote a column about the war against biological women.
When OutKick published it, I braced myself for attacks from activists calling me a transphobe, a bigot, a hateful right-wing fascist, all the buzz words they love. And of course, I did get a few of those.
But to my surprise, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Countless women and men thanked me for speaking out. They expressed their anger over the infiltration of biological men in female spaces and their concern about the erasure of women's sports in the name of "inclusion."
But here's the problem: Many of these messages of support came privately in my DMs or via text message. They are happy that a few people like me are shouldering this fight because they are too afraid — for various reasons — to do it themselves.
But the silence has to stop. And earlier this month, we found out why.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was violently assaulted at San Francisco State University. She had arrived on campus to give a speech on protecting women's sports. But instead of civil discourse, she was met with a mob of trans activists who held her hostage in a hallway.
Then, a grown man in a dress physically assaulted her.
I'm done being nice. Actually, I passed that point a long time ago.
I'm p*ssed.
And you should be, too.
Where are the women?
If you had told me a year ago the entire country would be viciously fighting about transgender "women" — that it would be the No. 1 issue in the United States today — I would have laughed at you and reminded you that gas is $6 a gallon.
But here we are.
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Biological men are honored on ESPN for their success in women's sports. A man pretending to be a little girl is showered with millions of dollars in corporate sponsorships for outwardly mocking women. And people like Riley Gaines are physically beaten for simply acknowledging biological reality.
So how did we get here? How did we reach this level of insanity?
After transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney surpassed $1 million in brand deals by reducing women to cartoonish stereotypes, OutKick founder Clay Travis asked an important question: Why do biological women allow this to happen?
"Is it because women are worried about being nice? Afraid of what other women will say? So obsessed with tolerance that they will allow the erasure of their sex?" he tweeted.
Someday, historians will look back on the image of Drew Barrymore kneeling at the feet of Mulvaney and ask those very same questions.
The movement may have started with empty mantras like "Women support women!" and "Trans women are women!"
But now it's a whole lot deeper than that. It's turned into something far more sinister.
Women are afraid. And they have reason to be.
Biological women are under attack.
Let's take a quick look at just a few of the prominent women who have spoken out against this madness.
*New Zealand women's rights activist Posie Parker had to cancel speaking engagements because violent protestors physically attacked her.
*Norwegian actress Tonje Gjevjon faced prison time for stating, "men can't be lesbians."
*Author J.K. Rowling received death threats simply for stating "people who menstruate" could also just be called "women."
JK Rowling (Getty Images)
Rowling is one of the wealthiest women in the world. Most of us don't have that advantage. Most regular women can't risk losing our jobs or compromising our safety to fight for the cause.
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I'm lucky to work for a company that supports my right to speak freely. Unfortunately, not everyone can say the same.
Even the United States government is against us.
In October, the White House invited Dylan Mulvaney to have a sit-down conversation with President Joe Biden. And on Mulvaney's "365th day of girlhood," Kamala Harris sent Mulvaney a letter to congratulate the TikTok star on "living authentically" and "courageously."
Just a couple weeks ago, the Biden administration proposed a set of Title IX rules to expand the meaning of sexual discrimination to include gender identity. This would prevent schools and colleges from barring biological male athletes from competing on female sports teams.
And just days after a transgender extremist gunned down six innocent people — including three children — in Nashville, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took the podium and declared the transgender community is "under attack."
Luckily, The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed in the House on Thursday in a 219-203 vote. This legislation aims to prevent biological males from competing in female sports in schools across the country. But no Democrats voted "yes." Not a single one.
The so-called "attack" on trans people — notably, transgender women — is a major talking point for news outlets like NPR, CNN and MSNBC. When in reality, this tiny percentage of the population is the most protected group of people in the United States today.
Transgender women have a free pass to do whatever they want.
Enter female sports events and win all the trophies? You go, girl! Walk around with your genitals out in the locker room in front of women and children? So brave! Openly mock women and physically attack anyone who has a problem with it? Yes, queen!
The bullies have made themselves the victims.
And they have the full backing of the Biden administration and every major corporation in the country.
It's time to break the silence.
While Riley Gaines has been at the forefront of the fight to protect women's sports, she's not alone. Personalities like Michele Tafoya, Sage Steele and Megyn Kelly have fearlessly defended the right of women to have their own spaces.
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And after the physical assault on Gaines at SFSU, even ESPN anchor Sam Ponder finally broke her silence. She’s been outspoken on the issue ever since — even without her network’s support.
"Just wow," Ponder tweeted. "Yes Riley, so many of us are cheering you on. I imagine this has felt lonely at times and I’m genuinely sorry for my own cowardice in not speaking out sooner. Stay strong sister."
But it's going to take a whole lot more than that.
ESPN didn’t publish a single story on the attack on Gaines. The White House hasn’t come to her defense. No big company has offered to sponsor her in her efforts.
And I predict that they won't.
Which is why it's going to be up to regular people like you and me to end this war on biological women.
But men, this is your fight, too.
What happened to Riley could happen to your wife, your daughter or your sister. You owe it to the females in your life to help protect their spaces.
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The left loves the catchphrase, "Silence is violence." Well, I can't think of a better example than what is happening to women right now.
Because at the very least, silence is complicity.
Stop purchasing from corporations that hate you. Stop voting for politicians who care more about virtue signaling than women's safety. And when you see an injustice, stop turning a blind eye.
So we're clear: I am not condoning violence of any kind. I am encouraging you to use your voice to bring common sense and sanity back into the national conversation.
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The "trans women are women" crowd never shuts up.
The rest of us need to bring that same energy.