Riley Gaines Testifies Before Senators on Competing Against Biological Male Lia Thomas at NCAA Championships
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Riley Gaines Testifies Before Senators on Competing Against Biological Male Lia Thomas at NCAA Championships
Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer from the University of Kentucky, delivered powerful testimony before the Senate about being forced to compete against biological male Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Gaines tied for fifth place with Thomas in the 200 freestyle but was denied the trophy for "picture purposes." She describes the discrimination female athletes faced, the violation of privacy in locker rooms, and the growing number of women being silenced, intimidated, or injured by policies that prioritize inclusion over fairness and safety in women's sports.
June 21, 2023
Riley Gaines Shares Her Story
Riley Gaines introduced herself to the Senate as an advisor for Independent Women's Voice and a recent graduate from the University of Kentucky where she was a member of the UK women's dive team. She detailed her accomplished athletic career: a 12-time NCAA All-American, five-time SEC Champion, SEC record holder in the 200 butterfly making her one of the fastest Americans of all time, two-time Olympic trial qualifier, SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and SEC Community Service Leader of the Year. Gaines emphasized that reaching this level of competition represents a lifelong journey that requires an impossible-to-articulate amount of sacrifice and dedication.
The 2022 NCAA Championships
On March 17th, 2022, Gaines and her teammates, along with female swimmers from universities around the country, were forced to compete against biological male Lia Thomas. Thomas was allowed to compete in the women's division after competing as a member of the University of Pennsylvania's men's swim team for three years as Will Thomas. Gaines and other female competitors watched from the side of the pool as Thomas swam to a national title in the 500 freestyle, beating out the most impressive and accomplished female swimmers in the country, including many Olympians and American record holders, by body lengths. Previously, Thomas had been ranked 462nd at best in the men's division the year prior.
Tied for Fifth but Denied the Trophy
The next day, Gaines raced Thomas in the 200 freestyle, which ended in a tie. They went the exact same time down to the hundredth of a second. Having only one trophy, the NCAA handed it to Thomas and told Gaines she had to go home empty-handed. When she asked why—a question they were not prepared to be asked—Gaines appreciated their honesty because they said Thomas needed it, that it was crucial Thomas had it for picture purposes, that Thomas had to have it for the pictures. Gaines felt betrayed, belittled, and reduced to a photo op. But her feelings didn't matter. What mattered to the NCAA were the feelings of a biological male.
Title IX Discrimination
In 1972, Congress enacted Title IX to end unjust sex discrimination in all aspects of education, including college athletics. But by allowing Thomas to displace female athletes in the pool and on the podium, the NCAA intentionally and explicitly discriminated on the basis of sex. Although the NCAA claimed it acted in the name of inclusion, its policies in fact excluded female athletes—the very female athletes whom Title IX was passed to protect.
Forced to Share a Locker Room
But that is not all. In addition to being forced to give up their awards, titles, and opportunities, the NCAA forced Gaines and her female teammates to share a locker room with Thomas, a six-foot-four, 22-year-old male equipped with and exposing male genitalia. Gaines made it clear: they were not forewarned they would be sharing a locker room, no one asked for their consent, and they did not give their consent.
Setting the scene, Gaines explained that a swimming locker room is not a place of modesty. Athletes are undressing and fully exposed, and these female swimmers were forced to take off their swimsuits in front of a man who was doing the exact same thing. Gaines expressed her hope that legislators can see this as a violation of their right to privacy and understand how some felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and even traumatized by this experience.
Speaking for Many Female Athletes
Gaines acknowledged that she doesn't speak for every single person who competed against Lia Thomas, but she knows she speaks for many because she saw the tears. She saw the tears from the 9th and 17th place finishers who missed out on being named an All-American by one place. She can attest to the extreme discomfort in the locker room from these 18 to 22-year-old girls when they turn around and there are male eyes watching in that same room. She can attest to the whispers and grumbles of anger and frustration from girls who, just like herself, had worked their entire lives to get to this meet. And she can attest to the fact that around the country, female athletes who opposed the inclusion of Lia Thomas in the women's division were threatened, intimidated, and emotionally blackmailed into silence and submission.
A Growing Problem
Unfortunately, these experiences are not unique. The number of female athletes who have been denied opportunities, traumatized, or hurt by policies that claim to promote inclusion is growing at an alarming rate. Gaines hears from these female athletes and their parents. She hears from people who are seriously injured, one with permanent injuries that will plague the rest of her life because she was forced to compete against a much physically stronger man. This is unacceptable, and the integrity of women's sports is lost. It's unfair, it's discriminatory, and it must stop.
Women's Rights Are Being Encroached
Women's rights to privacy, single-sex spaces, and opportunities are being encroached upon in sports, sororities, locker rooms, dorm rooms, shelters, and prisons. Some have tried to tar those speaking up for women's safety, security, and opportunities as transphobic or bigoted, and this is untrue. Gaines has heard from people within the LGBT community—gay, lesbian, and trans-identifying Americans—that agree females should not be asked to step aside and make room for male-bodied individuals no matter how they identify.
Defending Women's Rights Is Not Bigotry
Defending women's rights does not mean being anti-anyone. Believing in biology is not bigoted, and following the science that there are only two sexes and that there are very real and important differences between the two sexes is not hateful—it's fact. Gaines ended with a quote from tennis legend Martina Navratilova: "There will always be significant numbers of boys and men who would beat the best girls and women in head-to-head competition. Claims to the contrary are simply a denial of science."
Gaines thanked the Senators for listening and expressed her hope that they heard her story.
