Simone Biles and Riley Gaines’ Social Media Clash Over Trans Inclusion in Sports
In recent days, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has found herself at the center of controversy due to a heated exchange with conservative activist Riley Gaines regarding the inclusion of a male athlete on a girls’ softball team in Minnesota.
The Triggering Incident
The online dispute ignited on June 6, following a post by the Minnesota State High School League which featured a photo celebrating the girls’ softball championship team for 2025, notable for including one male player. After the league disabled comments on the post, Gaines expressed her frustration on X, previously known as Twitter.
“Comments off lol,” Gaines remarked. “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles’ Response
Biles quickly responded, accusing Gaines of being a “sore loser.” This remark appeared to reference Gaines’ tie with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA women’s championships.
“You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” Biles stated in her now-viral reply. “You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports.”
Escalation of the Discourse
In a follow-up comment, Biles suggested that Gaines should “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.” Gaines countered Biles’ assertions, expressing disappointment and emphasizing her stance against men competing in women’s sports.
“This is actually so disappointing. It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces…Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest,” Gaines replied.
Utilizing Past Statements
In a subsequent post, Gaines brought attention to Biles’ previous comments relating to gender categories in sports. She highlighted a 2017 tweet from Biles, which appeared contradictory to her current views.
[G]ood thing guys don’t compete against girls or he’d take all the gold medals !!” Biles had posted back in 2017.
Addressing this, Gaines remarked, “Oop. Don’t you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?”
Gaines’ Personal Experiences
Through her activism, Gaines has made it clear that her views on gender inclusion in sports stem from personal experiences. She has articulated concerns over the implications of including transgender athletes in women’s spaces.
“It is not kind to put a man in a women’s locker room, and it is not inclusive to allow a man to take opportunities away from women,” Gaines has stated in interviews.
