Riley Gaines is a staunch advocate of women's safety in sports.

"For simply saying men and women are different" - Riley Gaines on her social media fame

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:32 GMT

Riley Gaines recently claimed she has a substantial following of nearly 900,000 followers on her X account for simply saying men and women are "different."

Gaines is a committed advocate for the safety of women in sports. She has also fervently opposed the concept of transgender athletes competing against women. Right from confronting Lia Thomas to encouraging cisgender women to refrain from competing against trans athletes, she has stood firm by her cause.

The former NCAA swimmer has garnered approximately 900,000 followers on her X account, and she expressed her contentment and gratitude towards her fans for their consistent support.

"Sometimes I wake up and remember | have nearly 900,000 followers on X for simply saying men and women are different lol," the former University of Kentucky swimmer wrote.

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Gaines competed against Thomas, a transgender swimmer, in the 200-yard-freestyle event at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Both the swimmers completed the race in 1:43.40, tying for fifth place. However, Thomas was the only swimmer presented with the fifth-place trophy.

According to Gaines' account, she was asked to pose with the sixth place trophy, something which did not sit well with her. She also said she was informed about receiving the trophy through mail.

"They can't give me logic or reasoning" - Riley Gaines slams dissenters despite allegedly facing mistreatment

Riley Gaines spoke about the abuse she faces while speaking on transgender issues.

Riley Gaines recently opened up about a few unwelcome encounters she has experienced while advocating for the cause. She shared a few troubling situations she was put into for voicing her opinions.

"I can go on a whole rant about things that I personally experienced in terms of backlash. You know 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," Gaines stated.

Undeterred by the resentment, she continues to champion her cause, dismissing the backlash as mere 'name-calling.'

"It's merely just name calling what these people do which is what we do in second grade. Just call each other names and they have to resort to this petty personal attack because they can't give me logic or reasoning or fact or science."