Riley Gaines, former Kentucky women's swimming star, set to attend State of the Union address
Gaines has been an outspoken advocate for equality in women's sports
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Riley Gaines, a former Kentucky women’s swimming star who was a 12-time All-American and five-time SEC champion, will appear at President Biden’s State of the Union address.
Gaines, currently a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum, will be the special guest of Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., as Biden addresses the nation.
"I couldn't be more excited to attend the State of the Union address alongside Representative McClain," she said in a news release. "Not only is she an amazing leader and congresswoman, she has been an integral part in protecting women's sports on the basis of sex. She truly knows the value of female-only spaces and how sports empowers young girls. She will relentlessly fight the Left’s subversive war on women. Thank you, Representative McClain."
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Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines speaks during a rally on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, outside the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Gaines has been at forefront of making sure female athletes have an equal opportunity to perform in women’s sports as the debate over transgender females’ eligibility has risen over the last few years.
Gaines tied with then-Penn swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA championships last year. Thomas’ performance in the pool caused a national firestorm.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) participates in a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Jan. 31, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
"Riley Gaines is a courageous and inspirational woman who dared to speak out against the tyranny of wokeism," McClain added. "She has stood up for women’s rights and the protection of fair and equal playing fields in sports even though she was hounded in the media. I am honored Riley will be my guest at the State of the Union, and I am eager to work with her moving forward to protect the values that make the United States the greatest country in the world."
Recently, Gaines hand-delivered a letter to the NCAA calling to end the practice of allowing biological male athletes to compete on female teams. The letter demanded the organization "take direct and immediate action to establish rules to keep women’s collegiate sports female."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In the world of college sports, it is impossible to provide equal opportunities for both sexes (as required by Title IX) without female-only teams," the letter read. "Yet the NCAA implements and perpetuates a policy of allowing male athletes on women’s teams, even as sports governing bodies and federal courts increasingly reject these unjust and inequitable policies that exclude young women from their own teams."
Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines swims the 200 Butterfly prelims at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 19, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The letter was read outside the NCAA convention in San Antonio on Thursday, threatening legal action if the NCAA does not "protect female athletes from discrimination on the basis of sex."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.