Female athlete on competing with trans women: NCAA position ‘defies logic and common sense’
University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines on World Swimming Coaches Association calling it ‘unfair' for biological males to compete against women.
University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines applauded Friday a move by the World Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA) to call for a separate division for trans women.
"Obviously in a sport like swimming, where it is based on your individual performance, and it requires things like your power and your stamina and your strength and endurance, all these things that women are just typically disadvantaged at over men," Gaines told "America’s Newsroom."
Gaines tied with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle NCAA swimming championships. The issue of biological males competing in women's sports has been in the national spotlight recently as Thomas swept races at the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas waits for a preliminary heat in the Women's NCAA 500 meter freestyle swimming championship start Thursday, March 17, 2022, in at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
While many debate the fairness of trans women competing in female sports, the WSCA proposed a "solution" to create a Trans Division." Per the WSCA, the Trans Division will allow "Trans Females" to race each other and Trans Males to race each other.
The statement continues to say, "There is an argument that the Trans Males have been completely lost in this debate because they are uncompetitive in our current structure. This would also allow those of indeterminate gender to be factored into such a solution."
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Gaines said to pretend men do not have an advantage over women in swimming defies logic, reasoning, science and common sense.
"It's just night and day difference between male and female," said Gaines, who made headlines in recent months when she spoke out against Thomas being allowed to compete in women's events.
Gaines said the vast majority of female swimmers agree with her and encouraged others to speak out.
Fox News' Kelly Laco contributed to this report.
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