(Digital Editor's Note: This article appeared first in the June 2023 edition of the print version of The Stand.)
Riley Gaines is one brave young lady. More on her in a moment.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about bravery. Without looking it up, my short definition of bravery would be doing what is right in the face of great adversity, especially when the outcome of your actions is uncertain. Or sometimes bravery is taking a stand for what you believe in, even though your actions are unlikely to bring about the outcome you desire. But still, it’s the right thing to do.
You may have heard about Riley Gaines in the news. At the University of Kentucky, she was a 12-time All-American swimmer who set SEC conference records, helped Kentucky win its first SEC championship, and was named Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2022.
However, Gaines is best known today as the nation’s most outspoken defender of women’s sports after a male swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania claimed he was a woman and received preferential treatment over Gaines in the 2022 NCAA championships.
Riley is now traveling the country speaking out against males being allowed to compete in female sports. For this, she is being much maligned by LGBTQ activists and by some entertainers and politicians. She spoke recently at San Francisco State University (SFSU) for Turning Point USA, a conservative student group with chapters across the country. She reported that for the most part, “the speech and Q&A were civil.”
What stunned her was what happened afterward. She said, “As soon as I finished speaking, a storm of protesters entered the room from the hallway. They rushed to the front of the room, flickered the lights, and physically assaulted me and others.”
Campus police escorted her out of the crowd. Her report continued:
"We were forced into another room in the hallway, where I was barricaded for over three hours. In those hours, the mob screamed, chanted, and yelled, … “You come on this campus and think we’re not going to start a riot!?” and “Let her out, so we can handle her; we aren’t letting up!”
Imagine that – three hours of verbal assault, abuse, and threats on her life. She went on with her harrowing account:
"I missed my flight home because I couldn’t safely leave the room. Finally, the city of San Francisco Police Department showed up and helped develop an exit strategy. The officers formed a diamond around me and pushed through the mob to get outside."
I had to run to the car because we were met with more protesters outside. … I was still in desperate fear for my safety the entire time I was in San Francisco and until I was eventually able to board a plane for the return flight home."
With this kind of experience, you would think Gaines might be intimidated into backing down and being quiet on the issue. Not this lady. Instead, she reported that coverage of the disturbing experience has resulted in encouraging irony:
The protesters’ plan backfired on them. They intended to silence me, but they only gave me a larger platform. My social media following quadrupled, and the public support around the world to protect women’s sports and sex-based rights skyrocketed. The general public is now more eager to get involved in the fight than ever before.
Again, what a brave young lady. May her efforts be fruitful, and may the Lord protect her! If you want to send her an email of encouragement, visit her website, www.rileygaines.com.
Editor’s note: The Riley Gaines quotes were posted at outkick.com.
