Riley Gaines accuses Megan Rapinoe of 'virtue signaling' over Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

Riley Gaines, a former NCAA star swimmer at Kentucky, accused Megan Rapinoe of "virtue signaling" as the soccer star and others have pushed back against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.

Gaines reacted to a Rapinoe tweet from March. The reaction also came on the same day Rapinoe, Sue Bird and 38 others signed an Athlete Ally letter to House lawmakers opposing the act. The Rapinoe tweet Gaines reacted to read, "Today, politicians in DC are claiming to ‘protect women's sports’ by pushing a trans & intersex sports ban. Call your Congressional rep today to say women's sports need protection from unequal pay, sexual abuse & lack of resources, NOT from trans kids."

"It's worth noting that 1) you are done playing sports competitively and 2) because you aren't sexually attracted to men, you will never have a daughter to defend. To me, this simply looks like virtue signaling because you have nothing to personally lose," Gaines wrote.

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Rapinoe’s sexuality, however, has nothing to do with whether she could have a daughter in the future. Rapinoe is engaged to basketball legend Sue Bird.

"I can respect opinions that differ from my own and everyone is entitled to think/speak independently, but I can't help but think Megan Rapinoe would genuinely shiv any male who tried to take her spot on the US Women's National Team," Gaines added.

Gaines has since deleted the tweets.

Athlete Ally, an athlete group that supports LGBTQ+ initiatives, sent the letter on Monday, according to Sports Illustrated. The athletes believe the bill wouldn’t protect women in sports but rather exclude women and girls from getting "mental and physical health benefits."

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"We believe that gender equity in sport is critical, which is why we urge policymakers to turn their attention and effort to the causes women athletes have been fighting for decades, including equal pay, an end to abuse and mistreatment, uneven implementation of Title IX, and a lack of access and equity for girls of color and girls with disabilities, to name only a few. Our deepest hope is that transgender and intersex kids will never have to feel the isolation, exclusion and othering that H.R. 734 is seeking to enshrine into law," the letter reads.

The Biden administration's proposal to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes drew scrutiny last week. The proposed rule establishes that blanket bans would violate Title IX. It would be difficult for schools to ban, for example, a transgender girl from playing on a girls' baseball team.

The proposed rule would leave room for schools to develop policies that prohibit trans athlete from playing on more competitive teams if those policies are designed to ensure fairness or prevent sports-related injuries.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in February. The bill seeks an amendment to Title IX "to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with Title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."

The bill also says it would be a violation of the act for "a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls."

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House lawmakers may consider the bill next week.