Former championship swimmer Riley Gaines celebrated Republican lawmakers in Texas for banning men from women’s sports.
“I have heard that Governor Greg Abbott (R) of Texas is signing SB15, which is the saving women’s sports bill, into effect today,” Gaines said in a Thursday video. “This is huge news, not just for Texas, but for girls across the country.”
Watch Below:
Thank you, @Riley_Gaines_.
Proud of your bravery in advocating for the protection of women's sports.
With the law I signed today, Texas will ensure collegiate sports give women an opportunity to thrive for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/kqHHoFnAvE
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 15, 2023
“I could not be more grateful for the leadership of Governor Abbott and really taking this on and signing this into effect,” the former NCAA swimmer continued.
She also thanked “the leadership of Representative Valoree Swanson (R-TX) and Senator Mayes Middleton (R-TX) putting this bill forward and the leadership of Texas values,” she added. “Without them being at the forefront of this and making sure this is a priority for Texans, this wouldn’t be done.”
“So we have a lot of people to thank,” Gaines said.
The swimmer was reacting to Gov. Abbott’s signing of legislation requiring that students competing in intercollegiate athletic competitions at publicly funded institutions of higher education compete based on biological sex.
Gov. Abbott responded to Gaines, saying, “Proud of your bravery in advocating for the protection of women’s sports,” adding, “With the law I signed today, Texas will ensure collegiate sports give women an opportunity to thrive for generations to come.”
Gaines had famously competed against biological male swimmer Lia Thomas in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) championships and tied against him.
Since then, Gaines has become an outspoken advocate for saving women’s sports from the invasion of biological males.
Last month, the swimmer told Breitbart News that women should stop being agreeable and fight back against the trans agenda.
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Matt Perdie / Breitbart News
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
This is a great day for Riley Gaines and the state of Texas and a big step forward for women’s’’ sports. The idea that it’s OK for a biological male to compete against women in an all-female sporting event is immature and just plain ridicules. And that goes for these same males using the women’s locker rooms, showers and bathrooms as well. We don’t need it. A big applause for Texas and all of you that made this possible, THANK YOU.