Women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines called out White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over remarks she made this week about transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
On Tuesday, Jean-Pierre claimed that it’s “dangerous” for people to think that male-bodied athletes who identify as women are “dangerous” to women.
“What would the administration say to parents out there, who have daughters, in high school for example, who are worried that their daughter may have to compete against a male, or a person born male, and there could be directly, physical athletic competition, and worry about their daughters safety?” a reporter in the White House briefing room asked.
“What you’re alluding to is basically saying that transgender kids are dangerous. It sounds like that’s what you’re saying…you’re saying that their [female athletes] safety is at risk…you’re laying out a broad example of explanation of what could potentially happen…that is dangerous. That is a dangerous thing to thing, that essentially, transgender kids, we’re talking about, are dangerous,” Jean-Pierre said, not answering the question at hand.
REPORTER: "What would the administration say to parents out there...who are worried that their daughter may have to compete against a male...and worried about their daughters' safety?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 13, 2023
KJP: "That is a dangerous thing to say, that essentially, transgender kids are dangerous." pic.twitter.com/MMEVaeixtY
Gaines, who competed and tied against “transgender” swimmer Will “Lia” Thomas last year, slammed Jean-Pierre’s remarks on Twitter.
“When they say ‘inclusion’, just know they really mean ‘exclusion’,” she wrote. “The message this sends to ALL women is that our safety doesn’t matter. Nor does our privacy, our fairness, our equal opportunities, or our dignity.”
When they say "inclusion", just know they really mean "exclusion".
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 14, 2023
The message this sends to ALL women is that our safety doesn't matter. Nor does our privacy, our fairness, our equal opportunities, or our dignity. The misogyny is slapping us across the face. #SaveWomensSports https://t.co/DYqZDiQF7p
Gaines currently serves as a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum and focuses on the issue of male athletes in women’s sports. In an in-person interview with me in February, Gaines explained that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports is a “slippery slope.”
“Within the past year, in terms of progress, there has not been a clear solution to the problem [of transgender athletes] at hand. There has still been an influx of biological men competing in women’s sports,” Gaines said. "I think the Lia Thomas situation, bringing this to the national stage, opened a door. People see an opportunity when they see this, and they’re willing to take advantage of it. At the expense of, of course, female athletes.”
“If this continues, it’s a slippery slope. It’s truly only a matter of time before one transgender athlete winning a national title in the women’s category becomes three and five and 10 and so on,” Gaines explained. “I think truthfully it will become…the integrity of women’s sports will be lost.”
During a Q&A at the U.S. Capitol, Gaines explained that female athletes were forced to share a locker room with Thomas last year, which Townhall covered.
“No one has asked us how we felt. We exist to validate a male’s identity,” Gaines said. “It is just so wild that you can turn around and see a 6’4" biological man pull his pants down, watching you undress and no one is willing to stick up for you?”
This week, a new Gallup poll found that compared to 2021, a smaller percentage of Americans support allowing transgender athletes to compete on teams that align with their “gender identity,” and a growing number of Americans believe that changing one’s gender is “morally wrong" rather than "morally acceptable."
🚨New Gallup Poll:
— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) June 12, 2023
69% of Americans believe transgender athletes should only be allowed to play on sports teams that match their birth gender.
The Biden Admin needs to reverse course on their Title IX changes. pic.twitter.com/k6mgmcfR2J
“Republicans, Democrats and independents are all modestly less supportive of transgender athletes playing on current gender identity teams today than two years ago,” Gallup’s write-up stated. “The result of these changes is that Democrats are now divided on allowing transgender athletes to play on either male or female teams, while in 2021 more were in favor than opposed. Large majorities of independents (67%) and Republicans (93%) remain opposed to giving transgender athletes a choice of competing on male or female teams.”