Freedom among first pro male athletes to speak up on trans women in sports
Enes Freedom calls Riley Gaines an inspirational figure in women’s sports
Enes Freedom talked about Riley Gaines’ impact as a major voice in women’s sports and called her an inspiration.
Former NCAA swim star Riley Gaines has been among the athletes to take charge in their efforts to keep women’s sports fair by bringing the attention of transgender females taking part in women’s sports.
NBA player Enes Freedom sparked reactions this week when he voiced his opinions about the presence of transgender women in places intended for only biological females. He wrote that "men don’t belong in women’s spaces," including restrooms, locker rooms and sports.
Freedom told Fox News Digital that Gaines inspired him to speak out on the cause as one of, if not the only, male athlete to have Gaines’ back on the issue.
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Boston Celtics center Enes Freedom is shown during a game against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Nov. 28, 2021. (Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)
"I actually met Riley Gaines last year at the State of the Union. She’s a very brave woman and I think what she’s doing is amazing. She is one of the biggest voices in women’s sports. She was actually one of the athletes that inspired me. We both went to the same college – Kentucky," he said.
"So, no, not only her but many other women athletes are coming out and saying, ‘This is just not fair, enough is enough. We worked so hard our whole life to get to this point and now there’s someone who is not even a woman, who is a biological male, comes out and who is stronger, who is bigger, who is taller, and now we are trying to compete against him.’ Their interviews definitely inspired me a lot, big time."
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Riley Gaines (McKenzie Lange/Staff/USA Today Network/File)
Freedom said he’s now trying to take a page out of Gaines' and Paula Scanlan’s playbook – Gaines recently joined OutKick to launch the "Gaines for Girls Podcast."
"Now, I’m trying to do the same thing. I’m trying to inspire all the people out there who are scared to get canceled," Freedom told Fox News Digital. "I had a conversation with many of them. I was like, ‘Listen, man, don’t be scared. We need your voice, too. My voice is strong, yes, but if you help me, if we become a team, no one is going to stand against us.’ But unfortunately, I haven’t seen any brave athlete yet."
Freedom said other professional athletes are too worried about getting canceled or losing endorsement deals to speak out.
NBA player Enes Freedom sparked reactions this week when he voiced his opinions about the presence of transgender women in places intended for only biological females. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer/File)
"If we don’t speak up about this, their daughter will be competing against a biological male one day. And it’s just not fair for them."
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
