A women’s right’s advocacy group has condemned an incident at San Francisco State University Thursday night involving former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, calling it “absolutely ludicrous.”
The Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) released a statement early Friday morning after Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer and spokesperson for the organization, posted a video to Twitter claiming she was “ambushed and physically hit twice by a man” after delivering speech at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute event that took place on San Francisco State’s campus.
University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines reacts after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“We strongly condemn the violence perpetrated against [IWF] spokeswoman Riley Gaines on SFSU campus. Riley was violently accosted, ambushed, and physically assaulted during a speech on sex discrimination women face in their own single-sex sports category,” the group wrote on Twitter.
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“Riley is courageous in speaking up for truth, science and common sense. She has experienced firsthand the injustice female athletes face across America in their own sport.”
Gaines posted a video to social media showing her being escorted by police after protesters seemingly surrounded her and followed her through a building’s hallways while shouting at her.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines speaks during a rally on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, outside the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
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“The effort to silence, threaten & harm women for standing up for women’s rights is absolutely ludicrous,” the IWF continued in its statement.
“The Biden administration & governing bodies of sport, [the NCAA and International Olympic Committee], pushing for biological males in women’s sport for the sake of inclusion are responsible for this.”
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The incident involving Gaines followed a Supreme Court’s decision to allow a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia to continue competing on her middle school’s girls sports teams while a lawsuit over a state ban continues.
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, left, and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18th, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
West Virginia’s law on schools sports competition bars transgender athletes from female teams. It applies to middle and high schools, as well as colleges.
Fox News’ Kyle Morris and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This post originally appeared on and written by:
Maribel Serna
Fox News 2023-04-07 14:58:00
