A heated exchange between Olympic gymnastics legend Simone Biles and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines has sparked widespread debate over transgender participation in sports, and the internet is still reeling from the fallout.
It all began when Gaines took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, June 6, to criticize Minnesota’s high school softball championship team.
The team had turned off comments under a celebratory post, and Gaines implied it was because their “star player is a boy.” The statement was a clear jab at the inclusion of a transgender athlete.
Her comments didn’t sit well with many, including Simone Biles, who didn’t hold back. In a direct response, the decorated gymnast tweeted:
“Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_.”
Biles continued by accusing Gaines of being a sore loser over her loss to a transgender swimmer in the NCAA 200m freestyle event and encouraged her to focus on making sports inclusive instead of targeting others.
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“@Riley_Gaines_ You’re truly sick… Instead of bullying, you should be uplifting the trans community… One thing’s for sure, no one in sports is safe with you around!”
The back-and-forth quickly intensified when Gaines dragged Simone’s own trauma into the conversation. She referenced the abuse Biles experienced under former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, accusing Simone of hypocrisy for allegedly supporting locker room inclusion for transgender athletes.
“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… You know how many gold medals you’d have if your ‘inclusive’ dream came true? Zero,” Gaines posted.
The post drew sharp criticism online for weaponizing Simone’s trauma. Many called it a low blow and completely out of bounds.
Public Reactions: A Social Media Firestorm
Instagram and X exploded with opinions:
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@amina621134 wrote, “Bringing up her sexual assault is so dirty. Nobody has the right to use that against her.”
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@pyt_tmc defended Simone’s stance, saying, “She’s literally saying instead of bullying, find a way to make sports more inclusive… So what is it that y’all are disagreeing with?”
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But others sided with Riley, with @vladtv stating, “I love Simone Biles but I’m with Riley on this one. Winning a championship because you have a male on your team is cheating and unfair to the young girls who worked hard to get there.”
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@beautychoseme echoed Gaines’ sarcasm, quoting her viral line: “You know how many gold medals you’d have if your ‘inclusive’ dreams came true? ZERO!”
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Still, some called for calm and clarity: @wavykendoll wrote, “It’s always US who don’t read… Simone is against the unnecessary disrespect. She also said trans should have their own category instead of being shunned.”
As the debate rages, one thing is clear — the intersection of gender identity and athletic fairness continues to stir powerful emotions, especially when public figures take sides. Whether seen as advocacy or antagonism, both Biles and Gaines have sparked a national conversation — and the digital battleground isn’t cooling off anytime soon.
