However, another reason Gaines found this comment odd was because in the past, Biles has spoken out against body shaming.
“Why does she decide to jump in on this debate entirely on the wrong side?” asked Gaines. “There’s no part of me that believes that she actually believes this.” Gaines finds it incredible that an elite athlete does not understand the differences between men and women when it comes to sports.
Gaines then said that some of Biles’ teammates had reached out to Gaines privately and told her that Biles has a new Netflix documentary, and “this was her attempt to put her name and her face and her profile back into the spotlight.”
The former competitive swimmer mentioned that Biles previously testified that she [Biles] was one of the gymnasts sexually abused by Larry Nassar. Nassar is a former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor who was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting hundreds of girls and for receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials.
Gaines said she wanted to be “very clear” that Nassar should be punished for his crimes. However, she finds it ironic that Biles would testify against Nassar, a predator, but be supportive of trans athletes, and therefore of encouraging “18-, 19-, 20-year-old girls [being] totally undressed next to a man who is fully undressed while that man watches me shower.”
“It doesn’t get more perverted than that,” said Gaines.
In a video she made responding to Biles, Gaines asked, “If Larry Nassar came out as trans, would Simone think it’s responsible or safe for him to be housed in a women’s prison?”
Gaines’ call to action to Life & Liberty Forum attendees was, “Do not become complacent.”
“God bless our spiritual leaders who recognize the problem and teach their congregations how to combat the issues that we face,” said Gaines as she closed. “I appreciate you all for being here.”
