WATCH: Female swimmer wants to hold the NCAA accountable
Riley Gaines joined Campus Reform reporter Alexa Schwerha to discuss her experience competing against Thomas, as well as the vision she has for women's athletics.
University of Kentucky Riley Gaines swimmer was shoved in the middle of a national controversy after she tied for 5th place in the 200-yard freestyle with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship.
After being forced to pose with the sixth place trophy for a photo-op alongside Thomas, she is now determined to fix the system that she says needs to take “accountability.”
”I would love to see some change so that something on this level doesn’t happen again,” she told Campus Reform, “because it’s extremely mind-blowing and it doesn’t take... a scientist to realize that.”
[RELATED: Lia Thomas eyes the 2024 Olympics]
Gaines joined Campus Reform reporter Alexa Schwerha to discuss her experience competing against Thomas, as well as the vision she has for women’s athletics.
”I think a lot of people think ‘this doesn’t affect me’ or ‘no one cares about my voice because I wasn’t personally affected,’ but you very easily can be,” Gaines explained. “And so I think this is something that needs to be dealt with volume.”
Since March, Gaines has publicly denounced men competing in women’s sports and asserted that there is a biological advantage that puts women at a disadvantage.
To rectify this, Gaines advocated for the creation of a separate league for transgender athletes.
She is also looking to take her advocacy nationwide and detailed she will be speaking at a Las Vegas rally at the end of June and is currently working on both a book and a documentary about her experience.
[RELATED: DOED delays Title IX changes again as conservative lawmakers protect women’s sports]
Gaines is also setting her sights on making a national impact, and discussed her legislative plans with Campus Reform.
To combat the Biden administration’s proposal to rewrite Title IX, Gaines briefed her intent to push for a new regulation called Title XX, a play on the female chromosome structure.
Gaines is hopeful the title will reinforce protections for women’s sports.
Watch the full interview here.
Follow @Alexaschwerha1 on Twitter
