Riley Gaines reacts to the support received by Lia Thomas while being called 'brave' for competing in women's sports

Riley Gaines has shared her reaction to the support received by former NCAA champion Lia Thomas. The University of Pennsylvania recently revoked the transgender swimmer's records and titles.

Gaines shared a parody news article published by The Babylon Bee last year, which poked fun at Thomas after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the ruling by World Aquatics. The ruling, passed in 2022, banned transgender athletes like Thomas from participating in elite women's events, including the Olympics.

Gaines shared her thoughts as she wrote on her X account:

"We laugh, but there's an entire political party that calls men like this "brave" lol"

Gaines was referring to the political support for Lia Thomas from several prominent people, including members of the Democratic Party. The swimmer turned social activist had recently been involved in an altercation with gymnastics legend Simone Biles on the issue of trans athletes being allowed in women's sports.

Riley Gaines represented the University of Kentucky as a swimmer during the 2022 NCAA Swimming Championships. Following the discrimination she faced after the women's 200-yard freestyle race, she launched a campaign to exclude transgender athletes like Lia Thomas from women's sports.

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Riley Gaines shared her opinion on the 'third category' over Simone Biles' take on transgender athletes participating in women's sports

Riley Gaines shares opinion on Simone Biles' take on the participation of trans athletes in women's sports [Image Source: Getty]

Riley Gaines shared her opinion on a separate category for transgender athletes while talking about star gymnast Simone Biles' view on the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. Gaines revealed in a conversation with the Outkick podcast channel that she had almost agreed to this alternative, only to change her mind later.

"Simone mentioned in her initial tweet that she was creating a third category on this. I'll tell you I initially supported this idea. But I'll tell you when I change my mind. This was done. FINA, the international governing body of swimming, created a third category for people like Lia Thomas for those who identified as trans non-conforming, non-binary, and whatever it is," she said.

Gaines was referring to the separate category for transgender athletes introduced at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. Interestingly, none of the athletes belonging to this category turned up, about which Gaines added:

"There's a separate category for that. No one competed in it. Actually, Thomas went on to sue World Aquatics for this new rule, ultimately making this point that he doesn't want to compete if he can't trample on women in the process here."

Riley Gaines had previously criticized San Jose State University officials for letting transgender athlete Blaire Fleming participate in the NCAA Mountain West Conference volleyball league. She also supported Brooke Slusser, who spoke out against Fleming despite the threats received, and assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was sacked from her job for speaking out against Fleming's participation.