Jonathan Owens' wife Simone Biles and Riley Gaines engage in fierce debate over transgender athletes

Time of India

8 hours ago

Simone Biles and Riley Gaines go head-to-head online over transgender rights in female athletics (Getty Images)
Gymnastics legend
Simone Biles
publicly criticized former NCAA swimmer and conservative commentator Riley Gaines for her relentless campaign against transgender inclusion in women's sports.
The Olympic champion took to social media Friday after Gaines targeted a Minnesota high school softball team that recently secured a state championship, led by a transgender pitcher, Marissa Rothenberger.
Heated war of words erupts between
Simone Biles and Riley Gaines
over
transgender athletes
in women's sports
Riley Gaines, who has built a controversial media presence since tying for fifth place with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships, quote-tweeted a celebratory post from the Minnesota State High School League.
The league had shared a photo of Champlin Park High School's victorious softball team on X (formerly Twitter), but comments had been disabled. Gaines sarcastically remarked, 'Comments off lol.
To be expected when your star player is a boy.'
That jab didn't sit well with Biles.
The seven-time Olympic medalist and longtime advocate for athlete mental health and safety didn't mince words. 'You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,' Biles wrote in a direct quote tweet aimed at Gaines.
'Straight up sore loser. 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. Instead… you bully them.
One thing's for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!'
Biles' message struck a chord with many, reinforcing the stark contrast between the two athletes—not just in terms of achievements but also in how they choose to use their platforms.
While Gaines has positioned herself as a central figure in the conservative battle against transgender inclusion, Biles has spent years advocating for safer and more supportive environments in sports, especially for women and marginalized groups.
Gaines didn't back down. She fired back, calling Biles a 'male-apologist at the expense of young girls' dreams,' and went on to suggest that the gymnastics icon should compete in men's events if she supports transgender athletes.
'Maybe she could compete in pommel horse and rings in 2028,' Gaines quipped.
In another post, Biles added, "bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male."
"This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest," Gaines responded.
Gaines' transformation from a competitive swimmer to a full-time activist has been marked by a steady rise in right-wing media circles. Despite achieving only modest success as an athlete, she has testified before Congress, aligned with political figures like Donald Trump, and founded an advocacy center that claims to fight for fairness in women's sports.
Her rhetoric, however, increasingly targets not just elite trans athletes but also children and teens who participate in girls' sports.
To many observers, this shift has taken her beyond advocacy and into the realm of bullying—a point Biles made loud and clear.
Simone Biles, meanwhile, continues to exemplify what it means to use fame responsibly. Following her headline-making withdrawal from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to 'The Twisties,' Biles brought much-needed attention to mental health in elite athletics. Her voice carries weight, especially as a survivor of the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal involving Larry Nassar—a trauma she's used to push for systemic change and accountability.
The clash between Biles and Gaines underscores a larger cultural battle within sports today: one between inclusion and exclusion, between empathy and hostility. Where Gaines seeks to build walls, Biles continues to champion bridges, insisting on compassion and fairness for all athletes, regardless of gender identity.
Meanwhile, Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens have officially moved into their stunning $3 million custom-built lakefront mansion in Spring, Texas—a dream home they began building together in early 2023.
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