Olympic champion Simone Biles aimed harsh criticism at 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines on Friday, June 6, calling Gaines “truly sick” because of Gaines’ activism to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports.
“What a weekend,” Gaines said in an address to attendees of The Danbury Institute’s 2025 Life & Liberty Forum, which took place Monday, June 9, ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting in Dallas.
“I was in disbelief,” said Gaines, recalling the moment she read what Biles had said to her. “This is someone who I have admired and respected and looked up to for so long.”
“You’re truly sick,” Biles told Gaines in a post on X. “All of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!”
“But instead… You bully them,” said Biles. “One things [sic] for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
In a separate post, Biles said, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
Riley Gaines to Simone Biles: Why Should a Woman ‘Validate the Feelings of a Man?’
Riley Gaines is a Christian and former swimmer for the University of Kentucky who is known for her advocacy against trans athletes competing in women’s sports. In March 2022, Gaines tied for fifth place with trans athlete Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win a NCAA Division I title.
It was after this experience that Gaines began her advocacy. Gaines later publicly shared that she had to share a locker with Thomas and that doing so made her uncomfortable. Her website says:
After Riley directly experienced competing against a man in women’s sports, being forced without warning or consent to undress before the fully intact male, and subjected to discrimination by the NCAA, she became one of the most powerful voices to speak out against the injustice, challenging the rules of the NCAA, USA Swimming, International Olympic Committee (IOC), and other governing bodies.
Biles’ criticism of Gaines was a response to an X post Gaines had made about Champlin Park High School, the Class AAAA Softball State Champion for 2025. Champlin Park won the state title with a trans pitcher on their team. Gaines reposted a post from the Minnesota State High School League about Champlin Park’s win, saying, “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles reposted Gaines’ post, along with her criticisms of Gaines. Gaines replied to Biles on X, telling her, “This is actually so disappointing. It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces.”
“You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform,” Gaines told Biles. “Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest.”
