"It was time for me to deal with it": Riley Gaines discusses arduous topics with Caitlyn Jenner
Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner recently disclosed her life before her gender transition journey on Riley Gaines' 'Gaines for Girls' podcast.
Previously known as Bruce Jenner, Caitlyn identified as a transwoman in 2015 following her divorce from Kris Jenner. Before the transition, she became well-known for her exploits at the 1976 Olympics.
During a recent conversation with the former NCAA swimmer, Caitlyn openly spoke about her lifelong battle with gender dysphoria, admitting to living in secrecy until the age of 65.
"If you believe in gender dysphoria and that gender dysphoria is a mental condition. Obviously, I believe in it, I believed it my whole life," Caitlyn said (3:36).
"Everybody's story is different and my story was I just lived with it all my life. I snuck around, probably never had time to read my book, secrets of my life but I tell the whole story in that. How I snuck around, how I lied to myself, how I lied to people, and just at the age of 65 I couldn't take it any longer. I raised all my family. I had you know done everything I could do and now maybe it was time for me to deal with it," she added.
Riley Gaines and Caitlyn Jenner share similar views on the exclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports.
"I've been spit on. I've been assaulted" - Riley Gaines opens up about the mistreatment she experiences for speaking on transgender issues
Riley Gaines has been a fervent advocate against the notion of transgender athletes competing in the women's category since the 2022 NCAA incident, where she and Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, tied for fifth place after clocking a time of 1:43.40 in the 200-yard freestyle.
However, only Thomas was presented with the fifth-placed trophy, while Gaines was asked to pose with the sixth-placed trophy, which did not fit well with the latter.
Gaines has consistently faced backlash for expressing her views. She recently shared a video confirming the unpleasant situations she had to go through while fighting for the safety of women in sports.
"I've drinks poured on me. I've had glass bottles thrown at me. I've been spit on. I've been assaulted and held to ransom for four hours where these protestors demanded that if I wanted to make it home to see my family safely again I had to pay them money. The list goes on...death threats, people showing up to my house, drones flying above my house," said Gaines.