Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines says NCAA leaders are reluctant to meet with female athletes who say they are being negatively affected by policies allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. He continues to strongly criticize the NCAA for taking a more passive stance. She believes it is essential to approach this issue more than she believes.
“In 2010, they implemented a comprehensive policy for all sports. [Saying that after] After 12 months of HRT hormone replacement therapy, you will be able to compete in the category that corresponds to your gender identity. What the NCAA is doing right now is they're taking a phase-out approach. Essentially they want nothing to do with this policy, but this shows how cowardly they really are,” Gaines said Sunday, co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend.” Mr. Will Cain.
Riley Gaines hands NCAA letter asking to meet with players 'negatively affected' by trans policies
Riley Gaines discussed the demand letter and petition she handed to the organization. (Fox & Friends Weekend/Screenshot)
“This shows they know this is wrong, and now they're leaving it up to each sport to decide the rules for each sport.”
Gaines, along with Olympians, coaches and other NCAA athletes who are said to be affected by transgender athletes participating in women's sports, will meet with organizational officials at the 2024 NCAA Games in Phoenix. They handed out a request letter asking the officials to meet with the female athletes.
The group also handed out a related petition, said to have more than 70,000 signatures.
Gaines told Cain that a group of protesters at the convention made similar demands last year.
“We're back this year to do the exact same thing, because in the past year, the NCAA hasn't changed its policy and, as mentioned above, women continue to be discriminated against based on their gender. ” she said.
“The people I delivered to, the people on the steering committee who delivered petitions and letters to me, even looked me in the eye. As a female athlete, that's pretty disappointing…”
Gaines previously said he wanted to meet with NCAA President Charlie Baker, who takes office in March 2023, to discuss the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's competition.
“I know President Baker testified before the Senate a few weeks ago that change is coming, but that’s not what we’re seeing. We see women continue to be discriminated against based on reasons like “It's happening in almost every sport, every level, every division, every state, and that's why we're here today.'' That’s why I’m here,” she said last week.
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Riley Gaines speaks at Penn State University. (Riley Gaines)
Baker testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in October on the issue of transgender athletes being allowed in the women's locker room.
“I'm not going to defend what happened in 2022,” he said. “I wasn't there, I was still” Governor of the Federation. What I want to say is that we have very specific rules and standards regarding the safety and security of all of our student-athletes, and whoever hosts the national championships must understand and understand what they are. It means that you have to accept that it is happening and follow it accordingly. ”
He added: “I don't think that would be the policy we would adopt today.”
“Fox & Friends Weekend” asked the NCAA for a statement but did not receive a response in time for this segment.
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FOX News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
