Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who had a decorated career at Kentucky, responded to Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who spoke about Gaines’ efforts to ensure that women’s sports remain equal.
Porter appeared on «Real Time with Bill Maher» on Friday night and discussed the Gaines fight and suggested he was just using his platform to get clicks and attention. Porter and pundit Piers Morgan debated the idea, with Morgan defending the former swimmer.
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Representative Katie Porter attends The Makers Conference at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach on October 25, 2022 in Dana Point, California. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for the Makers Conference)
«And by the way, Riley is speaking for herself, and that’s her prerogative and I respect her free speech,» Porter said, while Morgan maintained that Gaines was «speaking for all athletes in the world.»
Gaines responded to Porter in a tweet Saturday, explaining that she deviated from her own career to take up the cause and uphold equality in women’s sports.
RILEY GAINES DETAILS PAINFUL SITUATION AT SFSU: ‘I FEARED FOR MY LIFE AT THAT TIME’
Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines swims the 200 butterfly preliminaries at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 19, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
«Hi @RepKatiePorter. I’m not speaking for myself… I’m done playing sports. I’m not fighting for myself. In fact, I’m supposed to be in dental school this year. But I’ve changed my life plans. because I see what’s at stake if someone doesn’t fight for the current and next generation,» Gaines tweeted.
«Why is it always women who fight protections based on sex? That will always be beyond me.»
Porter began the conversation by saying that he disagreed with Gaines’ statements and that sports bodies should be the ones to determine whether transgender athletes can compete against biological men or women. Morgan asked Porter what exactly he disagreed with, which started the conversation of likes and clicks.
Representative Katie Porter and Riley Gaines (fake images)
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Gaines has been at the forefront of the fight to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports on the basis of equality. Gaines tied with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in an event at the NCAA Championships last year, a result many argue shouldn’t have happened in the first place.