Riley Gaines reacts as her lawsuit against NCAA for women's sports makes critical advancement after court ruling

Riley Gaines recently achieved a milestone in her lawsuit, which she filed against the NCAA. In March 2024, Gaines signed a lawsuit with 18 female athletes against the NCAA and Georgia Tech, stating the organization violated Title IX, which bans sex-based discrimination in any education program.

Although the case initially also included Georgia Tech, which hosted the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in 2022, at the moment it only focuses on whether the NCAA, because it receives funding from the government and allows transgender athletes to compete against women in college education and sports. More than a year after the lawsuit was filed, the judge has approved the lawsuit to advance on to the further stage, which is to discovery.

Gaines shared the news on her Instagram story and wrote:

"And a big news for the Gaines vs NCAA lawsuit! On to discovery."

Screenshot ( Instagram story of Riley Gaines).

At the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, the University of Pennsylvania's transgender athlete, Lia Thomas, and Gaines competed in the 200-yard freestyle event. They both tied for fifth place after clocking 1:43.40. However, only Thomas was awarded the fifth-place trophy while Gaines was asked to pose with sixth, a request which did not sit well with her. Further, Thomas also went on to dominate the 500-yard freestyle event.

"Growth in sports is about more than medals" - Riley Gaines voices her opinion on why transgender athletes should be excluded from women's sports

Riley Gaines during the 10X Ladies Conference in Aventura, Florida. (Photo by Getty Images)

Riley Gaines has been a fierce advocate for the safety of women's sports and the exclusion of transgender athletes from them since the 2022 NCAA Championships incident, where the transgender athlete Lia Thomas also used the women's locker rooms. In an interview with Fox News, Gaines highlighted why protecting women's sports is crucial, saying:

“Title IX was written to protect women based on biological sex - not self-identified gender. To lose that foundational truth is to lose the heart of the law itself. Growth in sports is about more than medals - it’s about pushing ourselves mentally and physically, developing character, working hard, failing with grace, and winning with integrity."

She added:

"Sports are the training ground for life. If we allow Title IX to be redefined, we risk losing not just championships - but the next generation of women leaders."

Riley Gaines competed for the University of Kentucky.