Riley Gaines, a former swimmer who is now an activist, asserted that if a transgender woman tried to replace Megan Rapinoe on the U.S. national team, Rapinoe would fight to keep her position.

According to the UK website, Gaines was a swimmer for the University of Kentucky and graduated from college in 2022 as “one of the most decorated swimmers in program history.” She went on to become a five-time SEC champion and twelve-time NCAA All-American swimmer.

Gaines remarked that racing transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the NCAA finals in March 2022 “felt like I was going into the race with my hands tied behind my back.” Thomas was a competitor in the men’s division until 2019.
‘She would genuinely shiv someone’: Riley Gaines claims ex-USWNT star Megan Rapinoe would have STABBED a trans woman if they tried to take her spot in the team – as she slams soccer star for not calling out trans in sports
Since then, she has turned into a vocal opponent of trans women competing against biological women. On April 7, she heckled at San Francisco State University, and on Tuesday, she made an appearance on Piers Morgan’s show to talk about her activism.

When Gaines was questioned in June, Rapinoe stated she didn’t mind trans women participating in sports.