"They can't keep ignoring us"- Riley Gaines arrives in Phoenix for annual NCAA convention

Riley Gaines visited Phoenix on January 11 ahead of the annual NCAA Convention. The former swimmer, along with many coaches, students, and their parents, rallied outside the convention to demand the institution to stop discriminating against female athletes by allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports.

Students are currently protesting against the NCAA stakeholders for its Transgender Student-Athlete Participation Policy. As per the policy, trans female identifying athletes are allowed to participate in women's sports if they suppress their natural testosterone for at least one year and achieve levels set by the governing bodies of their particular sport.

Joining the protest in Phoenix, Arizona, Riley Gaines shared a video on her X (formerly known as Twitter) handle. The clip showcased a vehicle displaying hoardings of Gaines and other protestors with various slogans. She captioned the video:

“On the ground in Phoenix for the annual @NCAA convention. They can't keep ignoring us when we put ourselves in front of them. Ready to make some noise tomorrow!”

Gaines also mocked NCAA President Charlie Baker, saying:

“Hey @CharlieBakerMA, women's sports are for women.”

Gaines has previously also criticized Charlie Baker for his silence over equality in women’s sports.

On January 8, Fox News released an article on Charlie Baker dodging a bullet to speak on the issue of women’s sports. Before holding the NCAA Convention 2024, Baker and his members discussed a couple of questions on Name, Image, and Likeness compensation and debated whether college athletes are employees of universities.

However, when the president was asked to speak on the position of trans women in women’s sports, Baker did not answer the question.

Gaines reacted to the NCAA president’s attitude. She shared the article and wrote:

"Shame on NCAA President @CharlieBakerMA"

She added:

"If you want to continue to ignore female athletes, that's fine. We'll make it to where you can't. See you next week"

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Riley Gaines criticizes USA Climbing for delaying transgender policy implementation

Riley Gaines at House Oversight Committee

Recently, USA Climbing announced the postponement of the introduction of the Transgender Athlete Participation Policy. In the meantime, it instructed the athletes to compete in the gender category that best aligns with their identity.

Riley Gaines didn’t approve of the organization’s decision and claimed that it was an unfair decision for the female athletes competing in the event. She reacted to the USA Climbing's decision on her X (formerly known as Twitter) handle. Gaines wrote:

“What an embarrassing statement. Allowing men to compete with women is neither fair nor inclusive.”

She added:

“@USAClimbing doesn't believe women deserve equal opportunities. Keep the pressure on them.”