Star gymnast Simone Biles and podcaster Riley Gaines have been feuding online after Biles defended trans athletes in an X post last week.
Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, used her platform to speak up for trans athletes, particularly as their ability to play on teams that align with their gender identity is under attack by state and federal legislators. Gaines, a former competitive swimmer who now has a podcast that she describes as a counter to “the left’s woke culture war,” has been a prominent voice in attempting to exclude trans people from sports. She became known after tying with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for fifth place in a collegiate swimming race. But Biles’s post has caused days of uproar, resulting in Biles posting again to clarify and apologize for her initial statement. Wondering exactly what’s going on and why Biles apologized? Here’s everything you need to know about the Simone Biles and Riley Gaines feud.
What did Riley Gaines Post?
On June 6, Gaines quoted an X post from the Minnesota State High School league that celebrated a team’s softball championship win. In her post, Gaines undermined the team’s victory, saying “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.” (Teen Vogue is not naming the team or the player because they are minors.) According to a lawsuit filed by lawyers from the right-wing Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Female Athletes United, one of the players on the Minnesota team is transgender. This wasn’t Gaines’s first post about the Minnesota team, including others that named the teenager in question.
What did Simone Biles say about it?
Later on June 6, Biles quoted Gaines’s post, calling her out for her anti-trans stance. “@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…” Biles continued. “One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!” What was the reaction? Gaines responded to Biles’s post, calling it “disappointing.” “It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces,” Gaines continued. “You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest.”
Gaines’s supporters rallied around the podcaster while she continued to post about Biles in the ensuing days, rounding up posts of people criticizing Biles, amplifying news clips about the feud, and posting a video saying Biles body shamed her. Gaines also compared Biles’s post to her testimony against Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who was convicted of seven counts of criminal sexual conduct against athletes, including Biles. “All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man’s feelings,” Gaines wrote. “You know how many gold medals you’d have if your ‘inclusive’ dream came true? Zero.” Many came to Biles’s defense online, lauding her for defending trans athletes, decrying Gaines for bringing up abuse Biles endured, and noting that many male gymnasts are unable to achieve the skills Biles has pioneered.
Why did Simone Biles apologize?
On June 10, Biles posted an apology to X, saying she wants “empathy and respect” in athletics. “I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for,” she wrote. “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.”
What’s the bigger picture? Trans youth’s rights have been under attack for years, but in recent months, young trans athletes have faced particular vitriol. After President Trump took office, he signed an executive order intended to ban trans youth from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. Teen Vogue’s reporting found that at the high school level, that order targets 160 o
