Riley Gaines comes to UK for ‘The Fight is Far from Over’ tour

Former University of Kentucky swimmer, Riley Gaines, spoke in the Gatton Student Center’s Grand Ballroom as part of a tour called ‘The Fight is Far From Over.’

On Monday, April 28, Turning Point USA hosted its yearly speaker event, allowing the Lexington community to listen to a discussion centered on women’s sports.

The tour is part of a national tour of college campuses to invite discussions against the participation of transgender women in women’s sports, according to WRAL News.

Gaines said she has a personal connection with the topic and feels it is important to share so others aren’t alone.

According to Gaines, she previously swam in 2022 and competed in the NCAA championship at UK, competing against Lia Thomas, a transgender woman and student athlete at the University of Pennsylvania.

“That was three years ago now. Since then, I’ve continuously heard from women, young girls even, who have been impacted by this movement,” Gaines said. “So because of that, it’s a large part in why I continue to push forward, really, with full steam ahead.”

According to Gaines, both athletes tied in the 500-yard freestyle, leading to Gaines’ push to amplify the conversation centered around transgender athletes in sports.

“I think what we need to see institutions do is protect their student athletes, whether that’s females or males for this case, that we’ve seen several flaws from the NCAA,” Gaines said.

However, Gaines said she wanted her efforts not to be “silenced” and to make sure her advocacy wasn’t overshadowed.

“There’s a misconception here that I’m advocating for the exclusion of people who identify as trans,” Gaines said. “That’s very much not what I’m doing.”

According to Gaines, she wants sports to be inclusive, but said the categories should align with the sex and weight class of a person.

“I have no ill will, I don’t have any animosity, hatred towards one specific person or any group of people,” Gaines said. “Again, my stand isn’t against anyone or against anything. It is a stand for something. I am standing for women. I am standing for privacy in areas of undressing. I am standing for safety in our sports and beyond.”

According to Gaines, she continues to fight for the mission she has behind creating a “binary” in sports because she is a daughter, has sisters and knows girls in the sports field that have been or could be impacted.

“It shouldn’t have to take young girls like me,” Gaines said. “I think back to three years ago being a 21-year-old senior in college at the time.“It shouldn’t have taken me to stand up and to use my voice to ultimately shed light on what was happening to us.”

Attendee and teen girls volleyball coach in Lexington, Andrew Patag, said as a former collegiate athlete, he understands the effort athletes put in daily and does not want to take that away.

“I used to be the person who was like, ‘No, I don’t need to say anything about that. I don’t want to ruffle feathers or anything,’ but I think there’s a respectful way to go about this,” Patag said. “They’re (Gaines) doing it respectfully, and they just want what’s best for girls and women in this country.”

According to Patag, as a coach he worries about the disadvantages his girl’s volleyball team may have and that is why he was connected to the message Gaines said.

“Seeing girls every day, I couldn’t ever imagine them having to step on a court and play against an unpaired advantage,” Patag said. “ Even when I jump in a practice with them, it’s like I’m holding back a lot because it wouldn’t be fair if I were to go all out against them.”

According to Patag, conversations about fairness in sports are important because without them, many wouldn’t be able to hear other’s stories.

“We are built on a country of free speech, and we’re going to have our disagreements,  we’re going to have things that we don’t see eye to eye on, and that’s OK,” Patag said. “That’s the beauty of having freedom of speech.”

Turning Point USA UK Chapter President, Elizabeth Coleman, said she related to Gaines’ story personally as a former swimmer.

“I understand where she’s coming from,” Coleman said. “It’s just incredibly hard to compete against somebody who has a biological advantage over you.”

According to Coleman, it is fine to have differing opinions, but having conversations about topics that are seen as more controversial are just as important.

“Having an oppositional belief is totally valid,” Coleman said. “You are allowed to believe what you want to believe.”

Coleman said she empathized with Riley and her story of what she had gone through, not only from an athlete’s perspective, but from her political viewpoints as well. 

“I connect with her as an athlete, but also even more on standing up for what you believe in,” Coleman said.