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Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines recently reacted to Senator Scott Wiener's statements in support of the transgender community. She took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her opinions against the false information that Wiener gave during his speech at the California State Senate.
As a Senator, Wiener represents parts of San Francisco and San Mateo County. Recently, in his speech at the State Senate, he touched upon the controversy that took place between Riley Gaines and Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete, during the 2022 NCAA Championships.
He stated:
" A swimmer from Kentucky who complains that a transwoman tied her and because of a tiebreaker came ahead of her. What she neglects to mention is that they tied for sixth place because five cisgender women finished ahead of the trans woman who was swimming and that became a cause celeb as some sort of argument against trans participation in sports. Kids in general and particularly trans kids, they just want to live their lives."
Gaines, who was referred to as the "swimmer from Kentucky" by Weiner, was quick to react on social media. She tweeted the video footage of Weiner's speech with the caption:
"A sitting senator calling me a "cause celeb" is crazyyy. Everything he said is a lie. There was no "tiebreaker". We went the EXACT same time. I didn't place 6th. I've always been clear we tied for fifth fastest in the entire country."
Riley Gaines also called Weiner a misogynistic man for his comments against the Tennessee native.
Riley Gaines embarks on a new initiative for supporting women athletes
Riley Gaines recently collaborated with XX-XY athletics, a brand founded by the ex-Levi president Jennifer Say. Gaines has been selected as a face for their brand keeping in mind the ideology she stands for when it comes to women's rights.
The brand aims to empower women athletes in the current scenario when the women's division of most sports has the presence of transgender men. In a statement, Say stated her objectives behind establishing the brand:
"Throughout my life I’ve risked my reputation, job and social standing to stand up for children, women and free speech. XX-XY Athletics is the culmination of everything I’ve ever done in my life.”
In the first promo of the brand, both Gaines and former NCAA swimmer Paula Scanlon were present. During the video, Gaines was seen elaborating on the struggles and inequality they had to face from the NCAA.
Besides, she also mentioned the robbery she experienced during the NCAA Championships 2022 when she was stripped of the fifth-place trophy even after tying for the position with Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete.
