Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in history with seven Olympic medals to her name, is facing intense criticism online after publicly clashing with former NCAA swimming champion Riley Gaines over the contentious topic of transgender athletes in womenโs sports.
The controversy erupted after Gaines, now a conservative commentator and host of “Gaines for Girls,” called out the Minnesota State High School League for celebrating Champlin Park High Schoolโs softball championship win. The spotlight on the team quickly turned political when it was revealed that their star pitcher, Marissa Rothenberger, is a transgender athlete. When the league posted a photo of the team on X (formerly Twitter), it disabled comments, prompting Gaines to voice her outrage.
Biles didnโt hold back in her response. โYouโre truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,โ Biles wrote, referring to Gainesโ much-publicized competition against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships. โYou should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans [athletes] feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But insteadโฆ you bully themโฆ One thingโs for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!โ In a follow-up post, Biles added another jab, โBully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.โ
Simone Biles Faces Backlash After Defending Trans Athlete Participation in Women’s Sports
Her comments quickly ignited a firestorm online. โTelling women to โmove overโ for men in their own sports isnโt just ignorant, itโs betraying every young girl who looks up to you,โ one user responded. โTrue female champions know the value of fighting for equal opportunity, not handing it away.โ Another user wrote, โWhat a disappointment you must be to all the girls who thought you could be their role model. Shame on you.โ
A third social media user said, “Simone, no girl. This is not it. Would you be ok losing your gold medals to a male who is stronger and faster than you?? I donโt think you would. Shameful stance youโre taking.” As someone else expressed, “Riley is a champion standing up for women, who are unfairly losing medals because of MEN. As a decorated Olympic athlete, Simone, you should be using your platform to call out men in womenโs sports. Instead, you are attacking a woman who is standing up for other women.”
The incident has sparked yet another chapter in the growing national debate surrounding transgender athletes and fairness in female sports, an issue that continues to divide both fans and athletes across the country.
