Simone Biles, the Olympic gold medalist, has since reconsidered her stance regarding women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines. Last weekend, Biles referred to Gaines as a “bully” because of her views on trans-inclusion in women’s sports. However, on Tuesday, Biles reached out to Gaines, apologizing for taking a “personal” approach and for hindering the conversation around these sensitive topics.
Biles expressed, “I wanted to follow up from my last tweet. I’ve always felt that both competitive fairness and inclusivity are crucial in sports. The current system doesn’t balance these two principles effectively, leading to frustration and conflicts, which certainly doesn’t help our outreach to Riley personally. I’m sorry. I believe that athletes, especially young ones, have a duty to adhere to the rules while ensuring fair competition.”
The conflict between Gaines and Biles sparked last week after a Minnesota trans pitcher dominated in girls’ sports, leading his team to a state championship. Following the school’s post of their team photo with comments disabled, Gaines tweeted a response noting “Comment Off LOL,” pointing out the obvious: “That’s expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles retaliated, calling Gaines a “sick” person and a “bully.” She commented, “You’re really sick. This whole campaign is because you lost the race. Let’s elevate the trans community and find ways to make sports more inclusive. There’s probably a need for a transgender category in all sports!”
Gaines accepted Biles’ apology but challenged the notion of “competitive fairness.” She noted, “I appreciate Simone’s apology for her personal attacks. She understands what it’s like. She’s still the greatest female gymnast ever. Sports are inherently inclusive; anyone can participate.”
However, Gaines argued that competition is in essence exclusive, making the notion of “competitive fairness” meaningless. She expressed concern over young men publicly humiliating girls, stating, “It’s not fair to suggest that women and girls should overlook the harm inflicted by men. Ignoring such behavior prevents us from showing empathy for girls. I’m not ashamed to use my voice. Responsibility falls to lawmakers and leaders, which is why I support candidates who are taking a stand for women. Girls’ sports shouldn’t be a platform for the validation of boys. We need to ensure that young girls have the same opportunities you once had.”
