Three weeks after sparking a war of words with anti-trans activist Riley Gaines, apologizing for her targeted remarks, and being inundated with comments about the incident since, seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has deleted her account on X, formerly Twitter.
Simone Biles is no stranger to the spotlight. The most decorated gymnast in history has long been admired for her strength, grace, and outspoken nature. But in a move that sent shockwaves through the internet, Biles recently deleted her social media accounts following a public feud surrounding transgender athletes—with swimmer and activist Riley Gaines at the center of it all. So, what exactly happened? Why did one of America’s most beloved athletes disappear from the digital world? Let’s dive deep into the drama, the backlash, and what it means for the future of sports and social discourse.
Biles de-activated her account, which had nearly two million followers, after she came to the defense of a transgender high school athlete that Gaines had been attacking. But after Biles personally insulted Gaines (for which she later apologized), it opened up a flood gate of attacks which appears to have led the 28-year-old gymnast – considered the greatest of all time – to remove her account on the platform.
Biles still has her accounts on Threads (with 2.1m followers) and Instagram (12.4m followers) active. Gaines decided to deliver a parting shot to the gymnast, despite saying just yesterday that she’d be interested in forming an alliance with her. Gaines claimed that Biles ‘-has an incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible take – gets rightfully ridiculed for it – issues a groveling public apology after unrelenting backlash – deletes account to pretend it never happened’. Gaines, who made a career out of politically advocating against trans people in sports after finishing tied for fifth with a trans woman at a swim meet, concluded, ‘Sad to see such a phenom go down like this’.
Earlier this month, Gaines attacked a Minnesota high school on social media for fielding a softball team with a trans player. This came after she also led the charge against a trans girl competing in track events in California.
Biles snapped, lashing out at Gaines and calling her views ‘truly sick’, before getting personal and telling her to ‘bully someone your own size, which would ironically be male’. A few days later, Biles apologized to Gaines for the personal remarks, saying, ‘These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful.
‘Individual athletes — especially kids — should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. ‘I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.’
While Gaines accepted the apology at the time, she continued to criticize Biles for her views and opinion – all while using the abuse Biles suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar in defense of her own position. Biles hasn’t addressed any of the comments that Gaines has made against her after the apology and hasn’t addressed the reason for her account deletion on any other social media platforms.
