Riley Gaines attacked after supporting Women’s Sports.

Jonty Jackson April 7, 2023 Sports

Former NCAA Swimmer Riley Gaines Physically Assaulted While Speaking About Saving Women’s Sports

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was barricaded in a room at San Francisco State University Thursday night after she was physically assaulted during a speech to students about saving women’s sports at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute event on the campus.

Gaines’ Husband Speaks Out About the Attack

Louis Barker, Riley’s husband, said he had brief conversations with her while she was barricaded in the room for nearly three hours.

“She told me she was hit multiple times by a guy in a dress. I was shaking. It made me that mad. It makes me sick to feel so helpless about it,” Barker said. “She was under police protection and was still hit by a man wearing a dress.”

Gaines Shares Footage of Incident on Twitter

On Twitter, Gaines shared footage she took showing her being rushed out of the venue by police officers amid an onslaught of verbal attacks from the detractors who surrounded her.

Pro-Trans Protesters Drown Out Gaines’ Speech

While Gaines spoke to the students, many of whom expressed opposition to her viewpoints, other footage from the event showed the swimmer’s remarks being drowned out by a group of pro-trans protesters who had become increasingly loud outside the room.

Agent Speaks Out About Attack

“Instead of a thoughtful discussion tonight at SFSU, Riley was violently accosted, shouted at, physically assaulted, and barricaded in a room by protestors. It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights,” said Eli Bremer, Gaines’ agent.

TPUSA Spokesperson Blames Queer and Trans Resource Center for Protest

In a statement to Fox, a TPUSA spokesperson said the counter-protest to Gaines’ speech was “organized by SFSU’s Queer and Trans Resource Center.”

Gaines Speaks Out on Twitter

“The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU…I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man,” Gaines wrote in the tweet. “This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces. Still only further assures me I’m doing something right. When they want you silent, speak louder.”

Gaines’ Fight for Women’s Sports

Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer, became a national figure when she objected to trans swimmer Lia Thomas participating in women’s sports. Many athletes have warned that biological males have a clear advantage over biological women when they compete.