Riley Gaines delivers fierce message to media labeling her 'Anti-trans athlete activist' after welcoming her first child

10X Ladies Conference Miami Hosted By Elena Cardone - Source: Getty
Gaines at the 10X Ladies Conference, Miami - Source: Getty

American political activist Riley Gaines shared her reaction after the New York Post's controversial headline regarding the birth of her daughter received backlash from users online. Gaines and her husband, Louis Barker, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Margot, on September 29. The New York Post had labeled Gaines as an 'anti-trans activist' in their initial headline and after receiving criticism for it, it was quickly revised.

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Riley Gaines announced the birth of her child on Instagram, and described it as a 'love like no other'. She publicly announced that she was pregnant at a Turning Point USA summit in June and also posted online that she was 26 weeks pregnant. Gaines has been married to Louis Barker since 2022, with the couple first meeting as student-athletes at the University of Kentucky.

Gaines took to Tiktok to share her thoughts on the initial headline used by the NY Post, which read:

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"Anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines gives birth to daughter,"

Gaines said:

"This is just your daily reminder that you don't hate the media enough. If you follow my TikTok or Instagram or X, you would know that I delivered our beautiful baby girl a few days ago. There have been some fantastic articles that have put out there, like this one from Fox. But then there has also been articles put out by outlets like the New York Post that feature headlines that say this. Couple things. Number one, this rhetoric is so tired, and the American people see through it. Now, to be pro-woman, why do those things have to go hand in hand? And if that's the case, then would it be anti-women to be pro-trans? And what do we call someone who is anti-woman? We'd call them a misogynist. So are you telling us our options are either being a transphobe or a misogynist?"
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"After immense backlash, as you could probably imagine, New York Post changed the headline to this. The internet is forever. I, for one, can't wait to tell my daughter when she's old enough how I fought for her long before I ever knew I would be blessed with her."
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After announcing that she was 26 weeks pregnant, Riley Gaines completed a 1.25-mile swim from Alcatraz alongside US Navy Seals, calling it one of the best moments of her life.


Riley Gaines's husband, Louis Barker, was also a competitive swimmer

Gaines and Barker at a Turning Point USA Summit - Source: Getty
Gaines and Barker at a Turning Point USA Summit - Source: Getty

Riley Gaines's husband, Louis Barker, was also a competitive swimmer for the University of Kentucky. He competed at the NCAA Championships as well as the SEC Championship, performing well in both. Barker earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and management.

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Edited by Harshvardhan Shankar
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