Simone Biles Speaks Out After Calling Conservative Activist Riley Gaines ‘Truly Sick’ Over Comments About Transgender Athletes

Simone Biles Speaks Out After Calling Conservative Activist Riley Gaines ‘Truly Sick’ Over Comments About Transgender Athletes

Simone Biles is setting the record straight following her recent online clash with conservative activist and former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines.

In a post shared to X, Simone, 28, acknowledged that her initial response to Riley, 25, over comments about a transgender softball player may not have been in the best taste. Still, the iconic gymnast stood firm in her stance that the trans community deserves more support, not bullying, especially in sports. She wrote:

“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.”

 

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She continued:

“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. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful. Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over.”

Simone added that she believes “sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition.”

Her post comes after she initially called Riley “truly sick” in response to snarky comments the swimmer made about a high school softball team’s state championship win with a transgender pitcher.

Do you think Simone’s response crossed a line, or was her apology even necessary?