"Replace that with word 'woman'" - Riley Gaines slams Lia Thomas over trans swimmer's 'heartbreaking' comments

Riley Gaines has once again hit out at Lia Thomas after the transgender swimmer complained that "trans kids lose out on opportunities." Over the past year, Lia Thomas has been the name that has popped up whenever there is a conversation about transgender athletes.

Lia Thomas represented the men's team at the University of Pennsylvania. Later, the swimmer underwent hormone replacement therapy and started representing the women's team. Lia also broke records when she started competing in the women's division.

Riley Gaines has been opposing the idea of Lia Thomas competing in the women's division. In a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Riley, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, cited the words of the trans swimmer during the conversation. According to Gaines, the following statement was made by Lia Thomas:

"It breaks my heart to see trans kids lose out on opportunities."

In response to this statement by the trans swimmer, Riley Gaines said the following statement in conversation with Piers Morgan:

"Replace that with word 'woman.' Does it still break Thomas's heart to see women lose out on opportunities? Because that's what's happening."

Last year, Lia Thomas tied with Riley for fifth place in the NCAA finals of the women's 200-yard freestyle event, but the trans swimmer was awarded the medal. According to The Daily Wire, Gaines feels that this decision was part of the NCAA's effort to promote Lia. Further during Piers Morgan Uncensored, the former University of Kentucky swimmer said,

"From my experience competing against Lia Thomas at the national championships, I watched first-hand women lose out on opportunities. I watched women not become All-Americans, missing that eighth and 16th place because they were displaced by a male."

Riley Gaines further continued,

"This, of course, goes against everything that Title IX was created to protect and now we have the Biden administration, the people in the White House, who are actively working to rewrite Title IX."

Title IX states that,

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

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Riley Gaines responds to Katie Porter comments about her

Recently, Katie Porter, the U.S. Representative from California's 47th congressional district since 2023, appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher and criticized Riley by stating that she voiced her opinions about men competing against women to "get likes and clicks" according to the New York Post.

In response to Katie Porter's comments about her, Riley Gaines said, according to The Daily Wire,

"You just can't help but laugh. It's ironic. It's always women fighting against women's sex-protected spaces and rights. I’m speaking for every female athlete, not just myself. I’m done competing. This isn’t about me."

Gaines further continued,

"But I know what’s at stake if someone doesn’t use their voice. I have a younger sister. I just got married. I can only hope one day that I have a daughter and I can’t imagine being in this position and not fighting for them."

Recently, Riley was mobbed by transgender activists and was forced to shelter in a locked room for hours when she visited the San Francisco State University. She was there to advocate for the rights of female athletes, according to the aforementioned source.