Riley Gaines gets emotional reading remarks to lawmakers, says they have chance to send message to women
Gaines read remarks addressed to the Georgia Tech president
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Riley Gaines and other former NCAA female athletes addressed Georgia state lawmakers on the Special Committee on Protecting Women’s Sports on Tuesday morning.
Gaines was joined by Reka Gyorgy, Kylee Alons, Grace Countie and Kaitlynn Wheeler at the hearing. All five former swimmers opened up about their experiences at the championships and their emotions while seeing Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who swam at Penn, change in the women’s locker room at the time.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, left, and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As the former Kentucky swim star read her letter addressed to Georgia Tech President Dr. Angel Cabrera, Gaines began to get emotional as she talked about the "sexual harassment" she experienced.
"We did not give our consent to be exploited and exposed to a 6-foot-4 fully naked man," she said. "Because you did nothing, that man walked into our women’s locker room at your university and saw me undress down to full nudity.
"You allowed college women to be traumatized and violated on your campus in this way. Why didn’t you protect us?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines speaks at an event. (Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
The female athletes were asked at the end of the hearing on how to address transgender inclusion in women’s sports – a hot button issue in Georgia and across the U.S.
"I believe the legislative body should take decisive action and send the message loud and clear that women are worthy," she said. "You’re worthy of calling yourself a champion. You’re worthy of privacy in areas of undressing. You’re worthy of being safe in your sport. You’re worthy of your dignity. You guys have the opportunity to send that message to young girls – to win across the state of Georgia but broader, across the United States."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Then-University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines reacts after finishing tied for 5th with transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Getty Images)
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Gaines also urged the lawmakers on the committee to hold everyone that allowed what took place at the 2022 NCAA Championships at Georgia Tech "accountable and responsible."
Georgia Tech released a statement to Fox News Digital after the hearing was over.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As the host institution, Georgia Tech was the venue for the 2022 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. As is standard practice with NCAA championships, the event was administered by the NCAA. We have and will continue to cooperate with the committee."
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