Riley Gaines promotes a book on Fox News by calling an eighth-grade trans athlete a “mediocre man”
Swimming Against the Current author: “The stance I have taken is pro-woman, not anti-anything”
Published
Citation From the May 21, 2024 edition of Fox & Friends, hosted by the Fox News Network
AINSLEY EARHARDT (HOST): Joining us now is Outkick.com contributor Riley Gaines. Riley, you are the perfect person to come on. You dealt with this, what's your reaction? We got the picture, show the picture of the transgender athlete who won first place by 7 seconds. And we got the pictures of the second place winner from her parents, because her mom said she had a knee injury, she worked her way back, but was first place until this -- the transgender athlete wanted to compete.
RILEY GAINES: Well, it breaks my heart. But this should not be surprising to anyone anymore because the story is virtually the exact same every single time. This is becoming more and more common. It's seemingly a mediocre man who decides to switch to the women's team who becomes a record smasher and that's exactly what we have seen here.
The photo, this boy is — they are in eighth grade. This boy is built. He has bigger biceps, his legs are built. Look at him compared to the rest of the girls. And I want to commend the second place finisher — the rightful winner Ainsley Wilson, her face wasn't blurred, which means she was okay with putting her name and face out there, and I think that's applaudable. That is something that is — I understand the risk. I understand the threats. But she deserves to be deemed and called the champion.
EARHARDT: This is purely about fairness and making sure the girls are safe.
GAINES: That's what this is about. That's the stance we have taken. The stance, it very often gets labeled as anti-trans or transphobic, but let's be very clear; the stand that I have taken, I'm not standing against anything. I'm standing for something, and what I'm standing for is safety, I'm standing for transparency, I'm standing for privacy in areas of undressing, I'm standing for equal opportunity — the stand I have taken is pro-woman not anti-anything.
EARHARDT: You have a new book coming out today. Great title: Swimming Against the Current. You've had to do that your whole life and now you're doing it in a different way.
GAINES: Totally. What a fun process to now have written a book, have the title author by my name, that's insane. But really what this book is, is something I wish I had when I was struggling with this, when I was debating "I do speak up about this? Is it worth it? What is the trajectory of this? Is it something that will kind of just get swept under the rug? Do I continue on with my life?" The book is a more in-depth account of my experience, what we went through Division I National Championships in March of 2022 competing against Lia Thomas.