"They never show their faces, it's almost as if they're ashamed of themselves"- Riley Gaines on mob who tried to stop her speech in California college

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:32 GMT

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Riley Gaines hit back at the protestors who were demonstrating against her ahead of her speech at the California College.

The former NCAA swimmer is known for her advocacy for safeguarding women's sports and standing up against the trans athletes competing in women's sports. She was invited to the Davis College Republicans, at the University of California, Davis, on November 3, 2023, at 7 p.m. to deliver a speech and to voice her thoughts on protecting women's sports.

As the 23-year-old reached the venue, she encountered an angry mob protesting against her. The Northern California home of resistance arranged the protest by sending an invitation on social media a few days back, where they called for the demonstrators at 5:30 p.m., before Gaines' speech.

Gaines shared a video of the protestors, who were seen dissenting against her with their faces covered and holding posters. They were heard shouting,

"We’re here, we’re queer, Riley is not welcome here."

Unshaken by the dissent, Gaines went on to deliver a speech and gave a fierce reply to the protestors and called out on them for protesting while covering their faces.

"What happened to "pride"? If they were truly prideful, they'd unashamedly show their faces," she wrote.

"It's all a facade to get you to disavow reality," she added.

"Notice they never show their faces. It's almost as if they're ashamed of themselves. And rightfully so," she wrote in another post.

"Without them, these discriminatory policies would still be in place" - Riley Gaines praises Ansleigh Wilk for standing up against trans athletes competing in the women's category

Riley Gaines has vehemently advocated for the safety of women's sports

Riley Gaines backed Ansleigh Wilk for confronting the trans athletes' participation in the women's category at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament, held on October 21, 2023, in Georgia.

Wilk fought against a transgender athlete, Cordelia Gregory. According to NAGA's (North American Grappling Association) policy implemented in September, the officials are required to inform the female athletes before arranging the competition against trans-gender athletes, and only give a go-ahead for the bout if the former agrees to compete.

However, Wilk stated that she was unaware of competing against a transgender athlete until her teammates brought it to her attention.

"This wouldn't have been done without @ReduxxMag and @icons_women exposure of the issue as well as the brave female athletes like @Ansleigh_mma who have taken a stand for women," Gaines wrote.

"Without them, these discriminatory policies would still be in place," she added.

Riley Gaines praised Wilk for standing up against the oppression that led NAGA to revise its policy.