Olympic champion and gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles recently decided to go to war with Riley Gaines on X. It’s not clear why. And it seems out of character.
Biles doesn’t tweet much, and she’s never weighed in on the issue of males in women’s sports, but she tweeted this on June 6:
“Riley Gaines. You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. 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. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead…You bully them…One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around.”
And then this: “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male, Riley Gaines.”
Biles bullied Gaines, calling her “sick” and a “sore loser.” And then went on to attack Riley for her looks, despite having been attacked for hers in the past and then speaking out about body-shaming.
In response to being criticized for her muscular build, Biles acknowledged she is “stockier” than the average gymnast. She went to say: “I was built this way for a reason, so I’m going to use it.” And she did! Good for her! I’m not sure why she then thought it was acceptable to body shame Riley for being muscular as well.
Riley is a normal sized actual woman at 5’5”. She is actually short for a female swimmer. And very short compared to Will Thomas, the man she had to swim against at the 2022 NCAA Finals.
Ironically and inadvertently, with her statements Biles also acknowledged that men are bigger and stronger (and therefore have an unfair advantage in sports) than women.
Biles also recommended that Riley advocate for a third “transgender category” (once again acknowledging the explicit unfairness of having men in women’s sports).
Clearly Biles is unaware that this is not what is being demanded by the activist class. In fact, a third category was tried by USA Swimming. And no one showed up.
Amongst the activists, a third category is considered transphobic and “othering,” a separate but equal classification that is akin to segregation. This suggestion illustrates how unfamiliar Biles is with the debate that is raging in America on the subject.
Riley is fighting for fairness and safety for girls. The “other side” wants our attention and empathy trained on the boys who enter women’s sports and spaces. Riley and I want our attention trained on the girls who are having their Title IX rights denied.
We made this ad to highlight the erasure of girls that is happening across the country:
I’ve long defended Simone for a million reasons. I’m a former elite gymnast. I love gymnastics. She’s the GOAT, clearly. Her voice made a difference in exposing abuse in gymnastics, albeit late in the game. And I went against the grain to say that her pulling out of the Olympics in 2021 was standing up against a culture that views young girls — female gymnasts — as nothing more than cogs in a machine meant to win medals. She defended her own bodily safety by pulling out when she knew she wasn’t safe.
But here’s the thing: she didn’t defend the girls and women who exposed Nassar when they first stood up. I understand not being ready to speak up about one’s own abuse. And I have empathy for that. But as the most accomplished and famous gymnast in the world, a word of support – something as simple as “I stand with the athletes coming forward” – would have reversed the onslaught heaped upon those brave enough to go first in order to protect other young athletes.
Instead, Biles let these brave women twist in the wind, get accused of being liars and grifters when they dared tell the truth about a pedophile before it was fashionable. Before the me too movement had taken hold.
Biles stood up publicly only after Nassar was sentenced.
I stand with the women who have been brave enough to go first, to endure the backlash, the threats and violence – as Riley has had to endure.
I no longer defend Simone. She seems willing to pull up the ladder from the girls coming after her. These girls deserve fair competition, just as Simone has enjoyed, whether they become Olympians or not.
Sadly, we cannot rely on our heroes. Not a single currently competing Olympic level or professional female athlete has stood up for the protection of women’s sports. Instead, we must rely on the army of women and girls who don’t have gold medals and lucrative endorsement deals to put end to the absurdity of men stealing medals (not to mention safety and privacy) from female athletes. I know who I stand with.
See Jennifer's response here.
