Simone Biles Apologizes To Riley Gaines, Clarifies Statement About Transgender Athletes In Sports
on Jun 10, 2025
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Just four days after Simone Biles came under fire for her personal attack on Riley Gaines, the Olympic gold medalist has issued an apology.
On June 6, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) calling out fellow athlete Riley Gaines for her stance against allowing transgender females to compete in women’s sports.
Gaines, an outspoken conservative, spoke out on X against a Minnesota girls’ softball team that won a championship after transgender athlete Marissa Rothenberger pitched seven shutout innings, leading the team to take home the state title.
“Girls’ sports in 2025: A 6–0 shutout. By a dude named Marissa. Backed 100% by Minnesota Dems,” Gaines wrote, followed by another post that read, “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
(Photo credit: Riley Gaines/X)
Gaines’ statement drew scathing criticism from Simone Biles, who not only attacked the swimmer’s stance on the issue but also personally criticized Gaines’ appearance.
Biles wrote, “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
Simone further added, “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
Biles’ statement drew emotional responses from both sides of the political spectrum and faced intense backlash for seemingly implying that she supports biological males to compete in women’s sports.
Riley Gaines’ Response To Simone Biles’ Criticism
Riley Gaines reacted to Biles’ statement, saying that the backlash from a fellow female athlete was “disappointing.”
“This is so disappointing. My take is the least controversial take on the planet. Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls’ dreams? Didn’t have that on my bingo card. Maybe she could compete in pommel horse and rings in 2028,” Gaines wrote.
She later doubled down on the surprise she felt over Biles’ stance due to the gymnast’s own past abuse at the hands of her coach.
“All the horrific sexual abuse Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man’s feelings,” Riley said on X.
Simone Biles Apologizes And Clarifies Previous Statement
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, remained silent in the days immediately following her controversial post. However, on Tuesday, June 10, she issued a statement clearing up any misconceptions about her criticism of Riley Gaines.
In a post shared to X, Biles apologized to Gaines for “getting personal,” and admitted that she doesn’t have answers or solutions to the “sensitive, complicated issues” that were a source of contention.
“I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for,” Simone wrote.
“These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect.”
She further stated that she does not believe in compromising fairness in women’s sports, but her criticism of Riley Gaines was due to feeling that the swimmer “[singled] out children for public scrutiny.”
“Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful. Xoxo Simone”
I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me…
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 10, 2025
Who is Riley Gaines?
Riley Gaines is a competitive swimmer-turned-political activist known for advocating against the participation of transgender women in sports.
Gaines was a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky. During her final year of collegiate competition, Gaines tied for fifth place in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle event with Lia Thomas, an openly trans woman. A year later, Gaines became an activist against trans women in women’s sports.
Who is Simone Biles?
Simone Biles is considered one of the best gymnasts in history and is among the greatest Olympians of all time. She is tied for the second most decorated female gymnast in Olympic history, and has earned more Olympic medals than any American gymnast.
Biles has earned 30 World Championship medals, of which 23 are gold. She is also the oldest gymnast to ever win an all-around United States national championship.
Simone has won numerous other awards outside of competition, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom given to her by Joe Biden in 2022.
