"This is exactly what we need" - Riley Gaines lauds high school basketball coach for boycotting match due to transgender player in opposition

Former swimming pro Riley Gaines recently praised a high school basketball coach for declining to play against a team that included a transgender player.

Chris Goodwin, a basketball coach for the Vermont high school girls' basketball team, forfeited a matchup against the Long Trail team at a Division IV playoff game on February 21, 2023, as a transgender player was a part of the team's roster.

A year after the boycott, the Vermont high school was handed a one-year state athletics ban by The Vermont Principals' Association, the governing body for Vermont school sports and activities for member schools.

Gaines, who has consistently spoken against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to applaud Goodwin for his decision.

"This is exactly what we need. Strong leaders with a backbone & moral compass," Gaines wrote.

A year later, Goodwin still supports his decision to forfeit and he emphasized the difference between girls' and boys' matches.

"I’ve got four daughters. I’ve coached them all at one point in their careers playing high school basketball. I’ve also filled in for the boys’ coach when he can’t make a practice, and I run those practices, and boys just play at a different speed, a different force … than the girls play. It’s a different game," Goodwin said in an interview with Fox News.

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Riley Gaines set to release her new book

Riley Gaines authored a book "Swimming Against the Current."

The Former University of Kentucky swimmer and now an advocate Riley Gaines has penned a book "Swimming Against the Current - Fighting for Common Sense in a World That’s Lost its Mind.”

The book is set to be released on May 21, 2024, and is co-authored by A.J. Gregory, an American writer. It is categorized under the non-fiction, political science, commentary, and opinion genres.

The former D1 athlete started voicing her dissent against the notion of transgender athletes competing against women after the 2022 NCAA swimming championships. She was denied a trophy even after tying for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

Riley Gaines has expressed her perspective in the book, supporting it with science, facts, and logic. She shared the news of the book release with her fans on X, and wrote:

"I did the thing & wrote a book! The message is pro-common sense, pro-reality, pro-truth, pro-woman. My new book "Swimming Against the Current" comes out May 2024. Preorder at link below."