"A win for truth and sanity" - Riley Gaines reacts to five girls who refused to compete against transgender student winning their lawsuit 

By Nandika Chand

Modified May 03, 2024 15:56 GMT

Riley Gaines has applauded five West Virginia middle school girls who through their demonstration refused to compete against a 13-year-old transgender boy at a meet last month and were banned from future events as punishment.

The parents of four of the five girls had sued the Harrison County Board of Education. The court ruled in the girls' favor saying their actions in the previous meeting were not disruptive.

Gaines, who is a former competitive swimmer turned activist of women's rights, commended the ruling. She tweeted:

"Good news!"

She highlighted:

"After being barred from future competitions, the five girls who refused to compete against a boy at a track & field meet in WV have WON their lawsuit."

"A win for truth and sanity," she added. "Good on these girls & their parents for pushing back"

The 12x All-American swimmer shared the court ruling which stated:

"The students can not be punished for any acts related to the demonstration of free speech at the next two track meets."

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"There's no opportunity for women to succeed at elite level without sex-based categories" - Riley Gaines

Riley Gaines at House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing Examining Female Athletics And Title IX

Riley Gaines has emerged as a staunch advocate of women's rights and women's sports in recent years. She began to raise her voice against participation of transgender athletes in women's sports when she competed and tied with Lia Thomas in the 2022 NCAA Championships 200-yard freestyle event.

The former swimmer for University of Kentucky has been campaigning against trans athletes. Gaines, as per Michigan Advance, said people need to open their eyes to the undeniable damage that is being done to women's sports.

She pointed out:

"There is no equity. There's no fairness. There's no sportsmanship, and there's no opportunity for women to succeed at an elite level without sex-based categories."

The former competitive swimmer told Deseret News last month that competitive college athletes have to devote their whole lives to reach the top level. She said:

"It's a lifelong journey and impossible to put into words the amount of sacrifices, and I know none of that would have been possible without the women's sporting category." (via Yahoo Sports)

Gaines believes every person is entitled, but it needs to be fair:

"I don't think a third category (for transgender athletes) would suffice. Because at the end of the day, you would still very much have males competing against females."

Gaines, who is also the host of Gaines of Girls podcast, highlighted that fairness and safety is the core for both men and women. She added that sports is free of religion and race, but now women's sports are in danger.