“But this is disturbing” - Riley Gaines reacts to Lia Thomas embracing 'Trantifa' branding

Riley Gaines, the talented swimmer from Kentucky who once shared the fifth spot with Lia Thomas in the thrilling women's 200-meter NCAA championships back in March, found herself grappling with mixed emotions after stumbling upon a tweet featuring Lia, proudly draped in the 'Trantifa' flag.

Having previously raised her voice against the NCAA's handling of Lia's involvement, which commenced during the athlete's time with the men's team at Penn before transitioning to female, Riley Gaines was no stranger to the unease surrounding the situation.

A lingering sense of injustice had gnawed at Riley's core during her race against Lia, who dominated the NCAA championships, securing two individual titles and setting season-best times in December.

Nonetheless, Lia Thomas remained steadfast in her defense of the right to compete in women's sports, citing adherence to NCAA regulations that mandate transgender women undergo testosterone suppression treatment for at least a year before joining the competition.

Recently, a tweet by Andy Ngo caused ripples across the virtual realm, alleging that Lia had fully embraced the 'Trantifa' branding, as depicted in a picture she shared on social media. The post associated her with a faction called #Antifa, notorious for their radical beliefs and aggressive approach towards critics of trans ideology.

“#Trans swimmer Lia Thomas, formerly William Thomas, has now embraced the #Trantifa branding in new photos posted on social media. Trans violent militancy is the current focus of #Antifa. They believe that critics of trans ideology should be silenced, maimed or murdered. Some call for sexual violence against females in particular, as revenge.”

Amidst the whirlwind of reactions, Riley couldn't help but share her unease, quote-tweeting Ngo's post, and while attempting to make sense of it all, she voiced her concern:

"Doesn't this make so much make sense. I haven't specifically bashed Lia Thomas on anything (other than calling him an entitled narcissist which I stand by) because ultimately he was following the rules in place. But this is disturbing"

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“Stand with us” - Riley Gaines joins with other women in sports on the movement to safe women sports

Riley Gaines is known for her tenacity and drive to see that sports, especially women's sports, are done in all fairness. She took to Instagram to share a video in which she tagged ICONS Women.

The video caption gives information regarding registration for the International Women's Summit, which will start on July 21–23.

"Stand with us. The time is now to save women’s sports. International Women’s Sports Summit (@icons_women). 📍 Denver. 🗓️ July 21-23"