.jpg) Gaines at AmericaFest 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Riley Marie Gaines April 21, 2000 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Kentucky (BS) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Louis Barker (m. 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | rileygaines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Butterfly, freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Kentucky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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Riley Marie Gaines Barker[1] (née Gaines; born April 21, 2000)[2][3][4] is an American conservative political activist and former collegiate swimmer known for campaigning against the participation of trans women in women's sports and against public acceptance of transgender people more widely.[5][6] A twelve-time NCAA All-American, she competed for the Kentucky Wildcats swim team in the Southeastern Conference before graduating and focusing on anti-trans activism.[7][8]
Since 2023, Gaines has hosted the weekly OutKick and Fox Nation podcast Gaines for Girls.[9][10][11]
Early life
Gaines was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee.[12] Her parents were active in sports. Her father, Brad Gaines, played football at Vanderbilt University and her mother, Telisha Gaines, played softball at Donelson Christian Academy and Austin Peay State University.[13] Gaines attended Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tennessee.[14] As a junior, she won the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle in the TISCA High School Swim & Dive Championship in Knoxville in 2017.[15] She was invited to a 2016 United States Olympic Trials event, but failed to qualify after placing 85th.[16]
College athletics
Gaines joined the University of Kentucky's swim team and made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2019. She also made the All-SEC Second Team in 2019 and 2020. She participated in the 2021 NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, coming seventh in the 200 freestyle race and winning a silver medal in the 4 × 200 yd freestyle relay; she made the All-SEC First Team that year.[17][8] She was the 2022 SEC Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year.[18][19][20]
Gaines' highest-ranking individual event finish nationally was 5th place in the NCAA WD1 Championship 200yds Freestyle Final in March 2022. She did not pursue a professional career after graduating from college in 2022.
In March 2022, while swimming for the University of Kentucky in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA championship (her final competitive event race), Gaines tied for fifth place with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who subsequently became the first openly trans woman champion in the NCAA women's division after winning the 500-yard freestyle later at the same meet.[4][21] While Thomas held the fifth-place trophy after the finish, Gaines held an equally-sized sixth-place trophy while waiting for another fifth-place trophy in the mail.[22][5] Immediately after the meet, Gaines said in an interview with The Daily Wire: "I am in full support of her and full support of her transition and her swimming career...because there's no doubt that she works hard too, but she's just abiding by the rules that the NCAA put in place, and that's the issue."[23][24][25][26] Five days after her race against Thomas, an article about the race was published in The Daily Wire. Gaines went on to appear on a number of conservative podcasts and television programs, including shows hosted by Marsha Blackburn and Tucker Carlson. She was a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2022, where she was introduced by Donald Trump.[6]
In 2023, Gaines said that Thomas shared locker room space with her while still possessing "male genitalia".[27] This incident began her activism.[28]
Activism and politics
2022–2023
Gaines has advocated against the inclusion of transgender women in the women's division of sports.[29][30][31]
In September 2022, Gaines supported the campaign of Republican US Senator Rand Paul by appearing in a TV ad for him, where she shared her criticism of trans women in women's sports.[32]
By January 2023, Gaines had participated in a small protest at the NCAA Convention, appeared in campaign advertisements for former US Senate candidate for the Republican Party, Herschel Walker, and spoken at a Donald Trump rally.[33]
In March 2023, Gaines was an invited speaker at a Texas Senate committee in support of legislation that would categorically prohibit transgender college athletes from competing in sports divisions that align with their gender identity.[4]
In April 2023, Gaines visited San Francisco State University for the student chapter event of the conservative political organization Turning Point USA and spoke publicly about her campaign against transgender athletes in women's sports, which she referred to as spiritual warfare.[34][35] After the event concluded, protesters arrived.[28][34] Gaines was escorted by law enforcement officers to shelter in a classroom, where she stayed for three hours while protesters continued to demonstrate outside.[28][34]
On June 2, 2023, Gaines endorsed Republican Ron DeSantis in the 2024 US presidential election.[36]
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On June 21, 2023, Gaines appeared as a witness at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on safeguarding civil rights for LGBTQ Americans and according to C-SPAN, shared her "own personal experience competing with trans swimmer Lia Thomas and having to share the same dressing room."[37][38]
Gaines accompanied Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt as he signed an executive order in August 2023 representing Independent Women's Voice (IWV) which had developed model legislation the Oklahoma bill was based on.[39][40][41][42] The executive order includes a variety of provisions, including a prohibition on transgender women and girls using bathrooms and locker rooms designated for women, a direction to state agencies to use sex assigned at birth to define male and female, as well as definitions for terms such as "man" and "woman."[39][40][43][44]
In November 2023, Gaines confirmed working with FIDE to prevent transgender women from playing in women's chess. This prompted criticism from PinkNews for claiming that trans women had an advantage at chess.[45] That month she also testified to the Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee about her experiences competing with Thomas and on preventing trans women from competing in female sports in Ohio. The House would go on to pass Bill 68 that would "prevent trans athletes from participating in Ohio women's sports and would block doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth."[46]
2024–present
In March 2024, Gaines was one of sixteen female student athletes who launched a legal case against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports.[47][48]
Gaines spoke at the annual Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in May 2024.[49]
After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Gaines expressed her support for Trump's candidacy.[50] In July 2024, Gaines spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump.[51]
In August 2024, Gaines announced the launch of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia.[52][53]
On November 18, 2024, Gaines tweeted that she had voted for Trump.[54][non-primary source needed]
In February 2025, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a webpage on women's health that included videos featuring Gaines discussing her involvement with Executive Order 14201, which conditions federal funding on compliance with policies restricting participation of transgender girls in girls' sports programs.[55]
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Several outlets have noted that Gaines' activism often includes publicly targeting and insulting transgender individuals, including high school and middle school athletes, on social media to her 1.6 million followers.[6][5] In June 2025, gymnast Simone Biles responded to one of these instances on X, calling Gaines "truly sick" and a "straight up sore loser" due to her advocacy against the participation of trans women in women's sports. Biles wrote that Gaines should "bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male." Gaines replied that she found Biles's comments "so disappointing" and accused her of body shaming.[56][5] Biles later posted an apology, saying that she should not have gotten "personal" with Gaines, and that she believes the current sports system does not adequately balance competitive equity with inclusion.[57]
Gaines' wider position has been expressed several times as being that sports is a gateway to invalidating the wider womanhood and public acceptance of transgender women, with Gaines quoted as saying "The gender ideology movement is a house of cards, and I believe it's lying on that sports issue (...) This will be the card that makes all of it crumble."[5][6]
In a January 2026 video on Instagram, Gaines praised the actions of ICE agents in detaining the five-year old Liam Conejo Ramos. Gaines warned her followers, “Do not let compassion, or what you believe to be compassion, cloud you or suspend you from thinking critically."[58]
Personal life
Gaines is a Christian and has stated that her faith has shaped her activism.[59][60] She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2022 with a degree in health sciences. Her original plan was to become a dentist.[61]
In 2022, Gaines married University of Kentucky swimmer Louis Barker after dating for three years.[62]
In June 2025, Gaines and Barker announced that they were expecting their first child.[63] Their daughter was born in October 2025.[64]
As of October 2025[update], Barker struggled to get his green card or citizenship because of his refusal to take the COVID vaccine; Riley deplored publicly the administrative hurdles.[65]
Awards
Gaines has been presented with:
- 2022 Southeastern Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year[18]
- 2022 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award[66]
References
- ^ "LSC: SE For Dates 9/1/2012 - 8/31/2013" (PDF). USA Swimming. p. 9. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Keith, Braden (October 13, 2022). "NCAA Establishes New Policy For Championship Ties Amid 2022 Controversy". SwimSwam. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Gaines, Riley [@rileygbarker]; (April 21, 2024). "cheers to 24🥂🥳❣️ thanks for all the love & birthday wishes". Retrieved April 22, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b c Goldenstein, Taylor (March 14, 2023). "Three female athletes back Texas college transgender sports ban as LGBTQ activists warn of harm". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Graham, Ruth (August 27, 2025). "Riley Gaines Finished 5th. Now She Believes Victory Is in Her Grasp". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Pauly, Madison (November 20, 2025). "How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Bird, Darrel (March 5, 2021). "Women athletes are crushing it at Kentucky, and nationally". 24/7 Sports. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "Riley Gaines". UK Athletics. August 28, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ Austin, Ahmad Jr. (July 10, 2023). "OutKick Announces New Podcast Hosted by Riley Gaines". Mediaite. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Hamilton, Heather (July 10, 2023). "Riley Gaines to join OutKick with new show Gaines for Girls". Washington Examiner. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "OutKick Shows Launch on FOX Nation". Business Wire (Press release). July 31, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Gaines, Riley [@Riley_Gaines] (July 20, 2023). "Clarifying I'm born and raised in Nashville ..." (Tweet). Retrieved April 22, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Organ, Mike (March 27, 2016). "Former Vanderbilt star careful not to pressure his kids". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Brooks, Chris (July 3, 2016). "Gaines has 'good experience' in trials". The Tennessean. pp. M.9. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Murphy, Michael (February 13, 2017). "Harpeth Hall wins another swim title". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) Also published in print as "Riley Gaines three-peats -- twice: Station Camp junior wins 100 free, 100 fly for third year in a row". The Tennessean. February 22, 2017. p. M.4. ISSN 1053-6590. ProQuest 1870507109 - ^ Brooks, Chris. "Gaines has "good experience" in U.S. Olympic Trials". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "2022 SEC Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athletes of the Year Announced". SwimSwam. February 18, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "Riley Gaines Named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year". The Sports Ledger. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (February 14, 2021). "Success nothing new for Riley Gaines but she would like to add SEC title this week". Your Sports Edge. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (February 11, 2021). "Junior Riley Gaines expects UK to contend for title in unique SEC Championships". The State Journal. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Katie (March 17, 2022). "Thomas first transgender athlete to win D-I title". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (April 1, 2022). "UK swimmer Riley Gaines did not appreciate way officials treated her at NCAA Championships". Your Sports Edge.
- ^ "Riley Gaines: 'I Left There With No Trophy' After Tie With Lia Thomas; Kentucky Standout Disappointed With NCAA". Swimming World. March 24, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Pharis, Tristan (April 11, 2022). "Kentucky Swimmer, Riley Gaines, Speaks Out About Transgender Athlete Lia Thomas". KY Insider. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Schultz, Ken (January 12, 2024). "How Riley Gaines turned a fifth-place tie into becoming the face of the anti-trans-athlete movement". OutSports. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Zengerle, Jason (April 20, 2025). "How the War Over Trans Athletes Tore a Volleyball Team Apart". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ McCarthy, Claudine (2023). "Practical Guidance on Athletics Laws and Regulations". College Athletics and the Law. 20 (2). doi:10.1002/catl.31167. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c Regimbal, Alec (April 7, 2023). "Anti-Lia Thomas activist whisked away by police amid protest at San Francisco State". SFGATE. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Linder, Brian (April 4, 2022). "Kentucky's Riley Gaines says NCAA needs to 'make changes' to rules that allowed transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete at national championships". PENN Live. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ McClanahan, Gil (April 13, 2022). "Ky. Senate overrides veto of Fairness in Women's Sports Act; UK swimmer voices her opinion". WHCS FOX 11 Eyewitness News. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Chen, Natasha; Mossburg, Cheri (April 7, 2023). "Former college swimmer says she was assaulted at an event opposing the inclusion of trans women in women's sports". CNN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Watkins, Morgan (October 29, 2022). "Rand Paul campaign ad features former UK swimmer, slams transgender athletes, trans women". Courier Journal. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Foster, Matt (January 13, 2023). "Protest over inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports held outside NCAA Convention". CNN. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Hernandez, Adriana (April 7, 2023). "Riley Gaines visit to SF State results in trans-rights activist protest". Golden Gate Xpress. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Ross, Alexandra (March 28, 2023). "'Spiritual warfare': Riley Gaines speaks against trans women in women's sports at on-campus event". The Pitt News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Mills, Ryan (June 3, 2023). "Riley Gaines Praises Ron DeSantis as a Leader Who Has 'Drawn the Line,' Protected Women's Sports". National Review. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ "American Swimmer Riley Gaines on Competing with Trans Athlete Lia Thomas". C-SPAN. June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ Ring, Trudy (June 22, 2023). "Anti-Trans Misinformation Spewed at Senate Hearing — But It Gets Countered". The Advocate. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Murphy, Sean (August 1, 2023). "Transgender rights targeted in executive order signed by Oklahoma governor". AP News. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b France, Hannah; Korth, Robby (August 1, 2023). "Oklahoma Executive Order enacts 'Women's Bill of Rights,' critics call it 'transmisogyny'". KOSU/NPR. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Kemp, Adam (August 16, 2023). "This new Oklahoma executive order narrowly defines 'woman'". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Demirhan, Ansev (May 15, 2024). "Meet the Anti-Feminist Women's Group Leveraging Their 'Independence' to Convince Americans to Vote Republican". Ms. Magazine.
- ^ Stitt, Kevin (August 1, 2023). "Executive Order 2023-20" (PDF). Oklahoma Secretary of State. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Migdon, Brooke (August 2, 2023). "Oklahoma governor signs order targeting transgender rights". The Hill. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Billson, Chantelle (November 29, 2023). "Riley Gaines dragged for claim trans women have chess advantage". PinkNews. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Henry, Megan (November 29, 2023). "Riley Gaines testifies in support of Ohio bill blocking trans athletes and gender-affirming care". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Lawton, Matt (March 14, 2024). "Women athletes launch landmark case against transgender inclusion". The Times. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Rumsby, Ben (March 14, 2024). "Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in fresh legal battle". The Telegraph. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ LaPointe, Roger (May 13, 2024). "Annual Republican party dinner featured guest speaker Riley Gaines". AOL. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Amani, Marie (July 14, 2024). "We just witnessed an assassination attempt- Riley Gaines reacts to shooting at Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania". Sportskseeda. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ McGowan, Elisabeth (June 2025). "Who Is Riley Gaines? 5 Things About the Conservative Activist". MSN. Hollywood Life. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Gaskins, Kayla (August 10, 2023). "Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines launches center to advocate for biological women". WPDE-TV.
- ^ Wilcox, Melanie (August 9, 2023). "Leadership Institute launches the Riley Gaines Center". Campus Reform. Leadership Institute.
- ^ @Riley_Gaines_ (November 18, 2024). "I've gained about 50,000 followers over the past 10 days. Cool" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Villarreal, Daniel (February 20, 2025). "Trump administration unveils "mean-spirited" webpage featuring anti-trans activist". LGBTQ Nation.
- ^ Comiter, Jordana (June 11, 2025). "Why Are Simone Biles and Riley Gaines Feuding? All About Their Tense Disagreement Over Views on Transgender Athletes". People. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Simone Biles apologizes for heated exchange with Riley Gaines over trans athlete participation". AP News. June 13, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ Demopoulos, Alaina (January 28, 2026). "The womanosphere urges dubious followers to back ICE: 'Don't let compassion cloud you'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ Alcindor, Nicole (July 18, 2023). "Riley Gaines says spiritual awakening is helping her in fight to ban men in women sports". The Christian Post. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Hahn, Nicole (February 24, 2024). "Riley Gaines Speaks 'Biblical Truth' About Men Competing Against Women". Today’s Catholic. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ "Success nothing new for Riley Gaines but she would like to add SEC title this week". Your Sports Edge 2021. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ Kandangwa, Sunmina (November 8, 2024). "Who's in Riley Gaines' crosshairs? The pro-Trump activist, ex-swimming champion and critic of transgender inclusion in sport urged American men not to be 'the beta man who didn't get out and vote'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Richards, Bailey (June 15, 2025). "Riley Gaines Announces She Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby — and Includes Jab at Simone Biles amid Their Feud". People. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Jackson (October 2, 2025). "Riley Gaines gives birth to daughter Margot: 'God has blessed us'". Fox News. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
- ^ "Riley Gaines welcomes daughter Margot; All about her love story with husband Louis Barker and his 'complicated' US citizenship status". The Times of India. October 3, 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ Brandes, Chandler (April 21, 2022). "Riley Gaines Named Recipient of Prestigious Sullivan Award". UK Athletics.
External links
- Official website
- Riley Gaines at SwimRankings.net
- University of Kentucky Athletics Profile
- Riley Gaines at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Activists from Kentucky
- Activists from Tennessee
- American female swimmers
- American sports podcasters
- American women activists
- Christians from Kentucky
- Christians from Tennessee
- Conservatism in the United States
- Kentucky Wildcats women's swimmers
- Sportspeople from Gallatin, Tennessee
- Swimmers from Tennessee
- 21st-century American sportswomen
- American women podcasters
- OutKick people
- Anti-transgender activists
- Anti-LGBTQ Christian activists
- American right-wing activists
