Simone Biles claps back at Riley Gaines over transgender athlete comments in women's sports debate

Simone Biles responds to Riley Gaines’ criticism of transgender athletes, urging support for inclusion.

A heated exchange between Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines has reignited debate over transgender inclusion in women’s sports. The clash followed a social media post in which Gaines mocked a youth softball team for featuring a transgender player and criticized moderators for disabling comments.

“To be expected when your star player is a boy,” Gaines wrote in a quote tweet, referencing the child athlete. The remark drew swift backlash from Biles, who condemned Gaines’ behavior in a post to her nearly two million followers. “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,” Biles wrote, referencing Gaines’ shared fifth-place finish with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Biles continued, calling Gaines a “sore loser” and urging her to advocate for inclusivity rather than target transgender athletes. “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,” she added. “Instead, you bully them.”

Gaines, now an outspoken conservative activist, quickly responded. She dismissed Biles’ history of mental health advocacy and called her a “male-apologist at the expense of young girls’ dreams,” before sarcastically suggesting Biles compete in men's gymnastics events like the pommel horse and rings.

Since her NCAA career, Gaines has become a prominent figure in the anti-trans sports movement, testifying before Congress, suing the NCAA, and launching an advocacy group focused on what she describes as “fairness” in women’s athletics. She has gained support from conservative political figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

In contrast, Biles has consistently used her platform to advocate for athlete safety, mental health, and accountability in gymnastics, especially in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. Their public conflict highlights a deepening divide over the future of inclusion in sports.