Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines has challenged soccer star Megan Rapinoe's support for transgender athletes competing in women's sports, labeling it as "virtue signaling" on Fox News Tonight. Gaines questioned the sincerity of Rapinoe's advocacy, given her simultaneous fight for equal pay and resources for female athletes.
Gaines pointed out the contradiction in Rapinoe's position, highlighting how her support for transgender inclusion undermines her previous efforts to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for female athletes. She argued that Rapinoe's stance is ultimately exclusionary to the very women athletes it claims to support, particularly concerning locker room situations.
Rapinoe, a vocal advocate for transgender inclusion, stated in a Time magazine interview that she would fully support a transgender woman on the USWNT roster. She views attempts to restrict transgender participation in women's sports as an attack on human rights.
Gaines countered that Rapinoe's position silences those with opposing views, creating an environment where legitimate concerns about fairness and biology are dismissed as bigotry. She emphasized the widespread nature of this issue, affecting various sports and levels of competition. Gaines also criticized Rapinoe's assertion that questioning transgender participation in women’s sports is harmful, pointing to comments made by other prominent figures like Martina Navratilova and Sage Steele who hold similar views.
Fox News contributor Tom Shillue suggested that Rapinoe's stance is influenced by her impending retirement and transition from the sports world to pop culture, where different rules and expectations apply.
