Riley Gaines Offers Burien Parents Hope and Insights:  Fighting for Common Sense [Exclusive VIDEO Interview]

Burien News met with Riley Gaines, a swimming champion who tied with Lia Thomas, an intact male, in a swim competition. Gaines was forced to step aside as Thomas held the trophy and took spotlight. Gaines has since become an activist, shedding light on the injustice of "gender identity" when it comes to sports, women, and girls.

On August 16, 2024, Title IX, the federal law created to protect and support women and girls in sports, made news headlines. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) stalled efforts by the Biden/Harris administration to give people "identifying as women" the same rights as women.

Since 1972, Title IX has provided women and girls equal sporting and educational opportunities as men and boys. However, in the past several years, a small group of dedicated advocates have pushed for "inclusivity" of "gender identity" in sports, schools, and in all public spaces. This means that men and boys - intact or not - have been allowed to enter "female" spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms, by simply identifying as female.

Recently, this has reached the world stage of the Olympics, and the federal level of Title IX, and it also affects children at the local levels, like in Burien.

Gender identity is a concern for many parents in the Burien, Highline, and Seattle area, especially those who have children in swim clubs like the Greater Seattle Summer Swim League (GSSSL). This local swim club recently chose to fully support trans-identifying people in whichever locker room they choose.

Earlier this summer one of our Burien moms, Lauren Welch, had the opportunity to interview Riley Gaines and ask what she recommended for concerned parents everywhere.

‍Comments from Burien Interviewer, Lauren Welch:

Hello Burien Community!

As a local Burien mom, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Riley Gaines and ask her some questions about her passion for defending the rights of young women in sports, her battle for preserving sex-based spaces, and relate with her about how this issue is right inside our own local summer swim clubs.

You may have seen Riley Gaines on the news, heard her on podcasts, or even watched a legislative hearing where she defended the rights of young women in sports. Perhaps you own a copy of her book, “Swimming Against the Current: Fighting for Common Sense in a World That Has Lost its Mind.”

Riley Gaines is a 12-time NCAA swimmer who, in 2022, raced against a 6’4” fully intact male who identified as a female swimmer named Lia Thomas. Gaines and Thomas tied the race at the championship, but the NCAA insisted that the title belonged to Lia Thomas. Riley had to accept an unfair defeat, but rather than fading into obscurity, she began to speak out publicly about the unjust outcome and this concerning trend of biological males smashing records and winning championships in girls’ sports.

Riley has faced threats, been falsely labeled as transphobic, and on one occasion where she spoke at a college in San Francisco, she was attacked by a mob who threatened her life and held her ransom for several hours! There can be no denying that the years of blood, sweat, and tears in sports training for girls is rendered obsolete when males compete against them.

-Lauren Welch
Burien Mom of Five

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Burien News thanks Riley Gaines for her time and willingness to share her insights with our Burien News and Highline Schools readers!