Why you probably recognize the name Riley Gaines
As A.R. Moxon in The Reframe (Substack) tells the story ("Channels of Rage," November 19, 2023):
"Gaines tied with Thomas for fifth in the [March 2022] event, which means that without Thomas’ presence, she would have come in...fourth, I suppose, so I suppose Gaines missed out on all the accolades and prizes that are typically lavished upon fourth place finishers in athletic competitions. The loss of these gains got Riley Gaines riled, it seems, and now she goes around and tells her story, making it clear that she believes the existence of trans people represents unacceptable aggression and implied violence against her, suggesting that because of her victimization, trans people probably should not be permitted to exist quite so much. The various outlets who host her, who also want to make the case that trans people shouldn’t exist quite so much, find that Gaines really helps them make that case while letting them look as if they’re just disinterested parties asking questions, so they invite her back again and again, and this arrangement seems to work out well for both parties."
But but but, she would have ranked fourth (as seen on YouTube), had the trans woman not competed against her?
Right, and she would have ranked first had the first, second, and third place finishers also not competed against her, and none of this is an excuse for her to be racist, homophobic, or transphobic.
Anyway, A.R. Moxon wrote about Gaines because she went on Fox this week to complain about a small toy figurine of a dark-skinned Santa Claus in a wheelchair. Gaines's agenda, as Moxon put it, was to be a "freedom fighter for the rights of people who already have rights" and to oppose "the existence of all sorts of people."
"You have to ask yourself, you know, 'Why do they keep pushing this? Who are they trying to appeal to?'" Gaines complained about the toy.
"Gaines framed the existence of these types of people, who do exist, as something malicious and sinister and unnatural, that they are pushing on the normal people," Moxon says, adding: "supremacy believes that it owns the exclusive right to decide to what degree other people exist" and "will always cast the people they’re threatening and victimizing as a threat that is victimizing them" and "never chooses just one target; like any bully, it always seeks to expand the margins of acceptable violence." Therefore, "even though she lost out on all that sweet money that comes with fourth-place finishes, she should be able to go on make a pretty good living saying cruel things about other people for the entertainment of people who like to hear cruel things said. A lot of people do."
What else she's been up to in 2023
In March
Arguing with 37-year-old cisgender lesbian soccer star Megan Rapinoe about whether trans women can play sports against cis women. Rapinoe says sure.
However will Riley Gaines, who is 14 years younger and whose athletic career may already be over, find herself positioned to counter Rapinoe's standpoint?
Gaines says Rapinoe isn't qualified to give an opinion because — get this — she was likely to retire from sports soon (Rapinoe did announce her retirement three months later) and is a lesbian who probably won't ever have a daughter, so she can't possibly care about women's sports. "You have nothing to personally lose," Gaines told Rapinoe.
Never mind that Gaines's significantly less notable athletic career also appears to be over and that Gaines does not have a daughter either. What matters, you see, is that Gaines is "sexually attracted to men"; this is why she believes she has license to talk about sports on Fox News.
For context: This transphobe compares sterile humans to sterile livestock who are treated as expendable by their owners. Why can't humans own other humans, judge their worth by their fertility and productivity, and treat them as animals? is indeed a question. Also note that the word "trans" is swapped out for "infertile" here.
An account that X later suspended (@keguro_) tweeted on April 14, 2023: "I hope people begin to realize that any motion that declares procreation a duty is effectively 1. stripping away rights from girls and women and all birthing people; 2. nullifying many laws about sexual violence; 3. reducing workplace protections for women. In the name of protecting Kenya against homosexuality, it takes away many things women have fought for, and are still fighting for. Because, well, that’s how patriarchy operates."
In April
On April 6, 2023, there was an incident at San Francisco State University where Gaines was supposed to speak. Protesters showed up. Pen America said in a press release the next day: "She remained in a secure classroom for over three hours after the event while police determined how to safely escort her out." The organization called it a "disaster." ("Disruption and Harassment at Riley Gaines speaking event made a 'mockery' of free speech." April 7, 2023.)
This person adds context: Riley Gaines was making arguments that cause trans people to be harassed and run out of public accommodations in roughly the same way that she was run off her speaking platform. Thus, while it is generally bad to chase people so that they have to hide in a room for three hours, it is also hypocritical to say that it is only bad when it happens to you and to encourage people to do it to others.
In September
Two minors at an Oregon school had a physical altercation. Riley Gaines posted a 23-second video clip without permission of the people involved. Rand Paul explains: "...purely on the basis of rumor, and because that rumor was convenient and useful to her despicable cause, Ms. Gaines took it upon herself to call the aggressor a “trans male”..." The result? "This flurry of speculation regarding the gender identity of one middle school student led to multiple threats against the school, its administration, and the school district. In turn, heeding one such threat — which warned of a bombing — necessitated the closure of Hazelbrook Middle School on Friday, September 29, and then again Monday, October 2."
— Anti-Trans Posts Inspire Bomb Threats, Close Oregon Middle School: Riley Gaines is at it again, spreading innuendo, intolerance, and hatred. Rand Bishop, Prism & Pen, October 6, 2023.
What flavor of transphobia this is
Insofar as Riley Gaines is transphobic, homophobic, and racist, she's aligned with Matt Walsh.
Oh, now it's darts
Anti-Trans Activists Now Claim Trans Women Have An Advantage At Darts
Victoria Monaghan became the first trans woman to ever compete in the WDF World Darts Championship. Despite losing in the first round, anti-trans activists claimed she had a "biological advantage." Erin Reed. December 5, 2023
Despite her stochastic terrorism, Maine becomes a sanctuary state.
"On Tuesday [April 23, 2024], Gov. Janet Mills of Maine signed LD 227, a sanctuary bill that protects transgender and abortion providers and patients from out-of-state prosecution, into law. With this action, Maine becomes the 16th state to explicitly protect transgender and abortion care in state law from prosecution. This follows several bomb threats targeting state legislators after social media attacks from far-right anti-trans influencers such as Riley Gaines and Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok. An earlier version of the bill failed in committee after similar attacks in January. Undeterred, Democrats reconvened and added additional protections to the bill before it was passed into law."
— Maine Signs Trans And Abortion Sanctuary Bill Into Law, Despite Violent Threats: Despite a series of bomb threats against legislators in the state, Maine's Governor Janet Mills has signed a transgender and abortion sanctuary bill into law. Erin Reed, April 23, 2024.
May 2024:
"Students and alumni of Adrian College, a private liberal arts school near Ann Arbor, Michigan, are outraged that anti-trans activist Riley Gaines will be delivering the school’s commencement address this weekend. They say the decision to invite Gaines runs counter to the school’s mission statement of being “committed to the pursuit of truth and dignity of all people”..."
— College invited hate purveyor Riley Gaines to give commencement address. Students are furious. “She has no message to deliver other than she hates trans people." John Russell, LGBTQ Nation, May 3, 2024
If you want to hear me explain more about transphobia
A lot of my essays are on Medium. Paying subscribers to the Medium platform (sign up) can read them all.
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