Former college swimmer Riley Gaines said she was chased and verbally abused by protesters who shut down a talk she was scheduled to give at San Francisco State University Thursday.
She posted a video on Twitter and wrote, “I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man. This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces.”
The SFSU newspaper, Golden Gate Xpress, posted a video of Gaines speaking against transgender women competing in women’s sports. The speech was hosted by Turning Point USA, A nonprofit that advocates for conservative causes.
As Gaines spoke, demonstrators inside and outside the room held signs and chanted “trans rights are human rights.”
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Gaines claims she was ambushed and physically hit by protesters as she attempted to leave.
Both Gaines and the Xpress posted videos showing her being escorted by police to another room.
The videos show loud crowds, but don’t specifically show her being stuck by anyone.
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Her representatives say she was trapped for three hours before she could be escorted off campus safely.
“Instead of a thoughtful discussion at SFSU, Riley was violently accosted, shouted at, physically assaulted, and barricaded in a room by protestors. It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights,” her agent said in a statement.
This all comes amid an intense debate over the role of trans athletes in women's sports.
Gaines previously competed against University of Pennsylvania student, Lia Thomas, who in 2022 became the first trans woman to win the NCAA Division I Women's 500-Yard Freestyle event.
During a Fox News interview in December, Gaines accused Thomas of having “an utter disregard and disrespect towards women."
In response to the video posted by Gaines, Speaker of the House Kevin McCathy wrote, “This is an appalling attack on free speech on a college campus. House Republicans stand with Riley Gaines and her brave and tireless efforts to protect women’s sports."
Gaines' agent is calling for a full investigation by police and "for any student who was violent to be expelled from the university."
The Queer and Trans Resource Center at SFSU said the person that organized the protest was not a San Francisco State student and that it, "supports students' freedom of speech and freedom of expression that does not include hate speech prohibited by Title IX and does not incite violence."
Trans rights activist Honey Mahogany says tensions over transgender rights are reaching a boiling point.
“I think today is just another example of the onslaught on trans people’s rights. We’ve seen a very coordinated attack from the right across the country. There are so many state legislatures that are considering or passing anti-trans laws,” she said.
The university police department wrote, "We are conducting an ongoing investigation into the situation. There were no arrests related to the event. The disruption occurred after the conclusion of the event which made it necessary for UPD officers to move the event speaker from the room to a different, safe location.”
Some students said they don't support the idea of assaulting a speaker, if that happened. But nearly all day they support transgender athletes.
“I feel like sports should be open to anyone no matter what gender they were born into,” said student Lila Holman.
