In testimony before the U.S. Senate, former Kentucky swimming champion Riley Gains blasted the NCAA for allowing biological male Lia Thomas to compete as a woman.
Speaking before a Senate hearing on “Protecting Pride: Defending the Civil Rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,” Gaines recounted how Thomas immediately began pushing women out of contention after he claimed to have transitioned to being a female and joined the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team.
Gaines ultimately tied with Thomas for fifth place in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship the day after Thomas won the 500-yeard freestyle.
Gaines also noted how humiliating the podium photo op was for her after the fifth-place tie.
“Having only one trophy, the NCAA handed it to Thomas and told me I had to go home empty-handed,” Gaines said, according to Fox News. “And when I asked why – which was not a question they were prepared to be asked – I actually appreciate their honesty because they said it was crucial Thomas had it for picture purposes. Thomas had to have it for the pictures.”
“I felt betrayed. I felt belittled. I felt reduced to a photo-op. But my feelings didn’t matter. What mattered to the NCAA was the feelings of a biological male,” Gaines added.
The college star also said federal Title IX rules should not be used “to displace female athletes in the pool and on the podium” and accused the NCAA of “intentionally and explicitly discriminated on the basis of sex.”
The 23-year-old former swimmer has since become an activist working to save women’s sports and to encourage the sports world to disallow men claiming to be transgender women from competing as women.
Gaines also said that being forced to share a locker room with a man who still retained his male genitalia despite claiming to be a woman was galling.
“In addition to being forced to give up our awards and our titles and our opportunities, the NCAA forced me and my female swimmers to share a locker room with Thomas,” she continued. “A 6-foot-4, 22-year-old male equipped with and exposed male genitalia. Let me be clear about this – we were not forewarned we would be sharing a locker room. No one asked for our consent and we did not give our consent.
Gaines said that many of the female athletes “felt uncomfortable, embarrassed and even traumatized by this experience.”
“I know that I don’t speak for every single person who competed against Lia Thomas but I know I speak for many because I saw the tears,” Gaines told members of the Senate. “I saw the tears from the ninth and 17th place finishers who missed out on being named an All-American by one place. I can attest to the extreme discomfort in the locker room from these 18–22-year-old girls when you turn around and there’s male eyes watching in that same room.”
“And I can attest to the whispers and the grumbles of anger and frustration from these girls who just like myself worked their entire lives to get to this meet. I can attest to the fact that around the country these female athletes who opposed the inclusion of Lia Thomas in the women’s division were threatened, intimidated and emotionally blackmailed into silence and submission,” she said.
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