Riley Gaines Says Fight Isn’t Over After SCOTUS Ruling, Because Then Who Would Pay Her To Be On a Podcast?
You might think that a Supreme Court ruling, such as the recent one which gave states the green light to continue banning transgender women and girls from female sports teams, would be the final word on something. But that’s not the case for fifth-place loser Riley Gaines, who still feels that there are trans kids out there she can bully.
“This ruling was great for girls who live in states like my home state of Tennessee, but not so good, or I guess indifferent, for girls in states like California, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine,” Gaines told TMZ in a video interview, listing states where trans athletes are still protected by state-level legislation. “Basically, fairness and safety depend on your zip code and your geography and where you live in the country.”
TMZ then asked Gaines if she would be “at the battle” in those states — though there is, once again, no such battle needed! If people in those states want to ban trans athletes, they can elect leaders who promise to do so! But despite famously having a hard time winning, Gaines is not giving up.
“Of course, I personally will with any means and measures necessary, but more than me personally, I hope that we see the Department of Justice and the Department of Education aggressively enforce existing federal law,” Gaines continued. “That federal law being Title IX against these institutions that continue to violate the rights of women and girls.” Gaines went on to call out California Governor Gavin Newsom, whom she said is “giving President Trump the middle finger” by allowing trans girls to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
The Supreme Court released its decision in both Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. on Tuesday, upholding state bans on trans girls competing on girls’ sports teams. The majority rested their decision on the precedent set by United States v. Skrmetti, saying that the bans classify students by sex, not by gender identity or trans status. Notably, the SCOTUS decision did not mandate a federal-level prohibition on trans student athletes, but rather allowed bans already in place to remain on the books.
Gaines first gained notoriety in 2022, when she targeted trans swimmer Lia Thomas, with whom she tied for fifth place during an NCAA Division 1 championship. After that tie with a trans athlete, including a post-race photo op in which Gaines was given a sixth-place trophy to hold, Gaines began an anti-trans political and media career. Gaines and her fragile ego went on to become a MAGA spokesperson, making appearances in statehouses around the country speaking on behalf of anti-trans legislation.
TMZ founder Harvey Levin, who is also gay, then asked Gaines whether she felt the LGBTQ+ community was “squarely against” banning trans girls from women’s sports teams.
“I would actually say the majority of the LGBTQ communities, specifically those who are a part of the L and the G, the lesbian and the gay community, they actually recognize the trans portion of this incredibly long acronym that seems to grow every day, they recognize that as really harmful to what they have fought for,” Gaines said. Gaines’ rhetoric reflects a growing right-wing strategy to siphon support on the trans issue by splintering trans people from the rest of the community.
“I’ve talked to so many lesbians specifically who are pretty peeved that they find men who claim to be women on their dating apps,” Gaines said.
TMZ then asked Gaines whether she has spoken to the president about this decision. Gaines fell out of favor with Trump in April after she criticized the president for posting an AI-generated picture of himself as Jesus Christ.
“President Trump has patched up the riff that we had,” she said, though she said that she has only seen what Trumphas posted online. “I agree with the president on 99% of things that the president and his administration is doing. I don’t believe that criticizing the president or the actions that we saw on the Truth Social that day … I don’t think that makes me disloyal or a disgruntled conservative.”
Gaines’ most flummoxing rhetoric came toward the end of her interview. When Levin asked what she thought about the rights of trans people, Gaines said, “So long as my taxpayer dollars aren’t being used and it’s between consenting adults, I really don’’ care.” What does being trans have to do with consenting adults? Gaines seems to, as per usual on the right, confuse gender with sexuality and painting trans identity as some kind of sexual fetish, rather than, well, an identity.
Though Gaines has just been applauding a government decision that infringes on trans people’s ability to play sports, she went on to speak about the value of a limited government.
“I am a conservative who believes in limited government, that’s not just like a talking point,” she said. “I don’t want the government stepping in and infringing on my life, therefore, I don’t want it stepping in and infringing on other people’s lives. But I think where we’ve seen the harm of the trans movement is our rights as women have been infringed upon.”
