"I'm afraid for them" - Riley Gaines voices her concerns as teenage girl confronts school board about the presence of boys in the girls' bathroom

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Sep 26, 2024 04:05 GMT

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Former NCAA-level swimmer and social activist Riley Gaines is now concerned about teenage girls being harassed by boys posing as girls in the girls' washroom. Gaines recently recounted an incident, where a teenager had to confront her school board about the harassment she had to endure.

Gaines posted on her X account:

"Middle school girl confronts school board about boys in the girls bathroom. It's tragic that we live in a society where 12 yr old girls have to be the adults in the room. 'Those younger kids who probably aren't brave enough to be here, I'm afraid for them'."

This isn't the first time that the swimmer-turned-activist has raised her voice against the harassment of teenagers. Taking popular singer Justin Bieber as an example, Riley Gaines recently called out Hollywood for their double standards.

Riley Gaines' fight against Title IX changes

Riley Gaines fights against Title IX changes [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source: Getty]

Riley Gaines has been in the spotlight ever since she decided to fight against the inclusion of transgenders in women's sports in 2022. However, not many know that Gaines has also been campaigning against a government amendment to Title IX. Under the provisions made by the current US administration under President Joe Biden, the Title IX amendments aim to provide additional protection to athletes from the LGBTQ+ community.

However, Riley Gaines has been extremely critical of these amendments and has said that under the garb of protecting transgender athletes, the government is unintentionally paving the way for further exploitation of female athletes. She is fighting a lone campaign against the decision and has gained some success in this direction.

In late August, Brad Little, the governor of Idaho state supported Riley Gaines' cause by protesting against the Title IX changes.

Likewise, in June 2024, a district court in the state of Kentucky halted the implementation of the order. An ecstatic Gaines said in her interview with Fox News:

"This is a huge win for women and girls, but really what this is is a huge win for humanity. It’s a win for objective truth."

"I’ve been more hopeful these past few weeks than I have been at any point these last two years that I have so unapologetically and firmly taken this stand. … I feel very hopeful. I think the gender ideology house of cards is crumbling fast", she added.

Riley Gaines began her campaign against the participation of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who was prioritized over her by the NCAA authorities for the fifth place trophy at the NCAA championships.

Her efforts were successful when in 2022, the World Aquatics banned transgender athletes, including Lia Thomas, from competing in any elite swimming events for women, effectively ruling Thomas out of contention for the Paris Olympics.