Alison Centofante, a frequent contributor for the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI), interviews Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky who won five Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles. Gaines reflects lovingly about growing up in her sports-obsessed family and her dive into competitive swimming at the tender age of five. Gaines tells JDFI about the shocking experience that drove her to become a leading advocate for equality and fairness in women’s sports.
After tying the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas – a biological male swimmer on the women’s team – in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, an NCAA official pulled her aside. Privately, he told Riley that it had been decided that only Thomas would be allowed to hold the winning trophy. To add insult to injury, Gaines and other women athletes were forced, without warning or consent, to undress in front of Thomas, a fully intact male, and subjected to discrimination by the NCAA when they expressed outrage.
In this long-format video, Gaines speaks candidly about her new foundation, a leading women’s organization that “works to make real and lasting change, legally defining ‘woman,’ protecting Title IX, and defending women’s rights to single-sex spaces and equal opportunities.”