Simone Biles Clashes with Riley Gaines over Transgender Athletes in Sports
Simone Biles, the renowned U.S. Olympic gymnast, has expressed strong disapproval of Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer, who has been vocal against transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports.
The disagreement escalated after Gaines’s high school in Minnesota, which governs women’s state softball competitions, revealed the presence of biologically male athletes on the team.
Transgender player Marissa Rothenberger was instrumental in leading Champlin Park High School to a shutout victory, which prompted a reaction from Gaines. She stated, “Women’s Sports 2025: 6-0 shutout. By a man named Marissa. 100% support was supported by the advances of the Minnesota Dems.”
In response to Gaines’s comments, Biles took to social media, launching a personal attack. She characterized Gaines’s stance as “really ill.”
Biles tweeted, “Bully your own size that would ironically be a man @Riley_Gaines_. You’re really sick; you’re all about this campaign because you lost the race. Perhaps you should lift the trans community and consider how to make sports more inclusive and safe for everyone.”
This statement seemed to allude to a past competition where Gaines lost to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022.
Gaines didn’t hold back, posting her own video response. She remarked, “Yesterday, Simone Biles – Olympic gymnast, the best, without a doubt. But there’s no remote in the women’s gymnastics league.” She underscored that it’s not her responsibility to validate men’s feelings when it comes to women’s sports.
Additionally, Gaines pointed out Biles’s acknowledgment of the existing differences between male and female athletes, saying, “She admits that there are differences… I’m 5 feet five.” She also mentioned Biles’s history, calling attention to the former U.S. gymnastics team doctor convicted for sexual offenses.
Gaines concluded with a significant remark about Biles’s bravery in speaking up about abuse, asserting that if Larry Nassar were to identify as a transgender woman, it wouldn’t make it safe for him to be housed in a women’s prison.
