Simone Biles apologizes to Riley Gaines for getting ‘personal' in clash over trans athletes
Simone Biles is apologizing to conservative activist Riley Gaines for getting 'personal' in their recent clash over transgender athletes, but defending her stance that 'competitive equity and inclusivity are both essential' in sports.
In a Tuesday post on X, the Olympic gymnast wrote that she wanted to 'follow up' on her recent social media messages involving Gaines, who had slammed a transgender athlete's participation on a Minnesota high school softball team. Gaines referred to a player on the team, who identifies as transgender, as 'a boy.'
'You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,' Biles said in a post directed at Gaines.
'You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports,' Biles told Gaines, adding in another post, 'Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.'
Gaines had responded that Biles' comments were an 'attempt to be inclusive and virtuous' by deciding 'to sell out all women and girls who have dreams to achieve and to succeed.'
On Tuesday, 28-year-old Biles told her nearly 2 million X followers, 'The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.'
'These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don't have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect,' Biles said.
'I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful,' the Olympic gold medalist said.
'Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over,' she said.
'I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition,' Biles said.
'We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.'
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