Riley Gaines takes a dig at the celebration of men's day as she shares a picture of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas

Riley Gaines recently took a dig at transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. The 24-year-old took to her X handle to celebrate International Men's Day uniquely.

Like Women's Day, November 19 is observed around the world as International Men's Day. Gaines took a potshot on the occasion by sharing a collage on her X handle [formerly Twitter] with the caption,

"Celebrate accordingly"

The photographs in the collage comprise Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer whose gender identity continues to be a source of controversy. Then comes Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who compelled Gaines to fight for the cause of women's sports. Then comes the photo of Dylan Mulvaney, a biological male who is popular on TikTok for her gender transition story. The last photo is that of Rachel Levine, the outgoing assistant secretary of health, who is also transgender.

Riley Gaines first shot to the limelight when she protested against the bias shown towards Lia Thomas at the NCAA Championships in 2022. Her efforts were partially successful when World Aquatics announced in June 2022 that transgender swimmers would be barred from competing in elite women's events. Thomas appealed against the verdict, only to lose the appeal in June 2024.

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Riley Gaines on NCAA's 'inaction' against Blaire Fleming

Riley Gaines on NCAA's 'inaction' against Blaire Fleming [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source : Getty]

Riley Gaines has also been active in her protest against the inclusion of Blaire Fleming [who is reportedly a transgender] in the women's volleyball team at San Jose State University. The 24-year-old activist has been campaigning against Fleming since September 2024.

Gaines slammed the NCAA for staying mum on the issue of Fleming's participation. She posted on her X handle,

"The @NCAA has yet to investigate a male player on a women's team that colluded with his opponents to harm his own female teammate. Read that again. The NCAA is a corrupt, indefensible joke."

Gaines has also supported the educational institutions boycotting their matches against the San Jose State University in the Mountain West Conference League due to the presence of Fleming. Boise State University, University of Wyoming, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, and the University of Nevada have boycotted their matches against San Jose State University, with Boise State University and the University of Wyoming having boycotted twice.

Apart from the above, Riley Gaines has also campaigned against the Title IX changes proposed by the outgoing US administration led by President Joe Biden. According to Gaines, the changes, instead of providing additional security to LGBTQ+ athletes as claimed, aim to suppress any kind of dissent against the forced inclusion of transgender individuals in women's sports.