Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs urges Riley Gaines to speak up on Trump rescinding Title IX NIL guidance amid vocal transgender athletes stand

Rennae Stubbs, who once coached Serena Williams, has taken to social media to urge women's swimming icon Riley Gaines to publicly respond to a new presidential executive order. Stubbs, a long-time advocate of gay, transgender and women's rights was posting in the wake of Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" edict.

Trump's order will direct federal agencies, including the Justice Department, to newly interpret Title IX rules so that transgender females are effectively prohibited from competing in women's sports. Title IX is a civil rights law enacted in 1972 in the US, designed to prevent sex discrimination in education.

An incensed Stubbs took to her X account to call out TV sports host Sage Steele, racing driver Danica Patrick, and most importantly swimming icon Riley Gaines. Gaines is arguably the biggest name in US women's sports and Stubbs issued a plea for her to respond:

"@sagesteele @Riley_Gaines@DanicaPatrick !?"

Rennae Stubbs played tennis professionally but is perhaps better known as a coach, pundit and commentator. She is currently the host of "The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast" and a former tennis analyst at the Seven Network until 2018 when she switched to ESPN as one of their most influential pundits.

Stubbs was once the WTA's No. 1 ranked doubles player, and she won four Major doubles titles in the 2000s. She's most famous for coaching Serena Williams through her final Grand Slam, the 2022 US Open, but also guided Samantha Stosur to her 2021 US Open doubles title. Karolina Pilskova was another of her charges.

---

Rennae Stubbs is a well-known liberal activist advocating for transgender athletes' rights in women's sports

President Trump Signs No Men In Women's Sports Executive Order - Source: Getty

Rennae Stubbs has a history of speaking out on her social media platforms. She has been extremely critical of what she sees as a conservative assault on the trans and gay community. In June 2023, she posted on X:

"We KNOW the GOP are the most divisive bigoted TRANSPHOBIC HOMOPHOBIC group of lawmakers in government. This is about fairness & in MY opinion we should have empathy for EVERYONE involved, do better!!"

Stubbs, alongside her good friend, the 18-time Major winner Martina Navratilova, is also a well-known liberal voice and LGBTQIA+ activist and so holds diametrically opposite political views to Riley Gaines. It's something of a surprise therefore that she's seeking Gaines' help in opposing Trump's controversial executive order.