Riley Gaines has been the face of the movement to protect women’s sports. Now, she’s asking the two most prominent names in female sports to join her.
“People who I think would be critical to this movement are, of course, people like Caitlin Clark, people like Simone Biles, which I think is definitely a stretch, but these are women who have been able to shatter glass ceilings and break barriers, who are role models to young girls across the country,” Gaines told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
“To have them emphatically say they [trans athletes] do not belong in women’s sports would be, the issue would be solved across all levels, like yesterday, if they were willing to do this.”
While acknowledging that obtaining the backing of Clark and Biles is “definitely a stretch,” the former NCAA champion swimmer also said the sway of American public opinion against the inclusion of trans athletes makes the proposition less of a stretch than it once was.
Jennifer Sey, a former U.S. gymnast and Levi’s executive, founded the brand XX-XY Athletics, a company dedicated to opposing transgender inclusion in women’s sports, echoed the call for prominent female athletes to join the fight.
“We are always encouraging more female athletes to join the fight. And we’d love to work with anyone standing up for the integrity of women’s sports. We are in constant conversations with those who have stood up or are considering doing so,” Sey said. “We believe this ends when the athletes defend women’s sports in large numbers.”
Despite the success of the XX-XY Athletics, Sey says the activist brand still lacks a prominent, active ambassador.
“We don’t have any currently competing top-tier athletes who have spoken out. I think that’s an illustration of how far we have to go. It should be normal for them to stand up and say, ‘I will fight for the protection of women’s sports,’ and yet they haven’t because I think a lot of them are afraid of being called terrible names.”
Societal shifts give reason for optimism that someone of the stature of Clark or Biles may soon emerge to rep a brand like XX-XY. According to a New York Times/Ipsos survey conducted at the beginning of the year, 79% of the 2,128 respondents said males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
