Is Riley Gaines related to Rowdy Gaines? All about the swimmer as video of protestors attacking her goes viral

Ex-college swimmer Riley Gaines was recently chased and verbally abused by protesters at San Francisco State University. Gaines shared a video clip on Twitter on April 7, 2023, calling the university an asylum and said that it was run by students whom she called prisoners. She further said that she was ambushed and physically hit by a “man” twice, claiming that the incident proved women’s need for “s*x-protected spaces”.

Riley Gaines' tweet. (Image via Twitter/@Riley_Gaines_)

Riley Gaines was at the university on Thursday, April 6, to address a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event at the university but was unable to proceed with it after protesters gained access to the venue and chased her out. In videos shared on Twitter, Gaines was seen being escorted out of the university while protesters chanted:

“Trans rights are human rights. Trans women are women.”

However, former college swimmer Riley Gaines is not related to three-time gold medalist swimmer Rowdy Gaines, though many might get confused since both share the same surname and are swimmers. 64-year-old Rowdy Gaines is a former competitive swimmer who has four children, Emily, Isabelle, Maddison, and Savanna.

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Riley Gaines and her campaign for women's place in sports exclusively favors the participation of "biological" women

In March 2022, Gaines competed against transgender athlete Lia Thomas in a 200-meter freestyle swim at the NCAA Championships. Thomas swam for the University of Pennsylvania while Gaines swam for the University of Kentucky. Both of them tied for fifth place in the competition. However, Gaines has since been vocal about criticizing transwomen’s participation in women’s collegiate sports.

She has been visiting universities and colleges across the United States to speak on the issue and has since gained public recognition. For the past year, Riley Gaines has been trying to educate peers about her experience at the NCAA, which she deems unfair.

Riley has attempted to talk about the impact of the growing number of transwomen in women’s sports and how it takes away opportunities from “biological” women.

The swimmer has been questioned many times in both civil and somewhat uncivil manner about her strong stances, and Gaines has thoroughly encouraged diverse viewpoints as well as debates on the issue.

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Netizens react to Riley Gaines being attacked by SFSU students

Riley filmed herself while she was being ambushed by students of the San Francisco State University who support trans rights and are part of the LGBTQ+ community or allies. The swimmer alleged that she was hit twice by a man wearing a dress. Her husband, Louis Barker, said that he talked to her briefly while she locked herself inside a room for almost three hours to save herself from the protesters.

After Riley shared the video on Twitter, many condemned the SFSU students and criticized the "woke" community, labeling them as "fascists". Some users in the comments also praised the swimmer for being brave and speaking up against what she felt was wrong, while a few also encouraged her to press assault charges.

Several public figures, including Caitlyn Jenner and controversial British internet personality Oli London, spoke in support of Riley.

However, what enraged most people was how the students at SFSU reacted to Riley Gaines. Instead of a peaceful and cooperative discussion at SFSU, Gaines was shouted at, physically and verbally attacked, and was ultimately barricaded in a room by protesters.