Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles is apologizing to conservative political activist Riley Gaines after a heated social media exchange over transgender athletes’ involvement in women’s sports.
The 11-time gymnastic champion’s original comments came in response to Gaines, who criticized a Minnesota high school softball team for winning a championship game with a transgender pitcher. The tension between the two athletes escalated online after the GOAT called Gaines a “sore loser” and “bully.”.
In response to the growing backlash and personal tone of her initial post, Biles returned to X on June 10 with a more empathetic message. She directly apologized to Gaines for getting “personal” and clarified that her intention was not to advocate for policies that “undermine fairness in women’s sports.”
“I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” Biles wrote, acknowledging that the current system doesn’t strike the right balance between those principles. While she reaffirmed her commitment to fairness in women’s athletics, Biles emphasized that her issue with Gaines was for “singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful.”
Biles’s emphasized the need for compassion in debates that often turn hostile — especially when young athletes are involved — and calls for sports governing bodies to lead with thoughtful policy instead of public shaming.
Despite the friction, Gaines later said she accepted Biles’s apology and extended an invitation for more conversation in the future.
Gaines is a former All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky who rose to fame among conservatives in 2022 after she argued against transgender women in sports following a fifth-place tie with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at a meet.
President Trump signed an executive order in early February banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports.
Some organizations, like the NCAA, quickly complied with the order; however, other legal challenges have arisen, with states like Maine refusing to comply and ultimately suing the Trump administration.
