
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has apologized for “personal” comments she made while criticizing transphobic activist Riley Gaines for publicly targeting young trans athletes via social media. Right-wing X users chastised Biles for comparing Gaines to a man, noting that Biles once spoke openly against body shaming.
The drama began after Gaines mocked a high school girls’ softball team for having a trans player. The team posted a celebratory photo after winning the state championship. Gaines criticized the account for having its comments turned off and misgendered the trans player in the process, writing “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
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Biles replied with disdain, telling Gaines, “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You buIly them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
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Biles was referring to the fact that Gaines has built an entire career out of the fact that she and trans swimmer Lia Thomas tied for 5th place in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA championship.
I accept Simone’s apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me.
– Transphobic activist Riley Gaines
Gaines has viciously campaigned against trans people ever since, claiming she was somehow robbed of a title, even though she would have gotten 5th place whether Thomas had competed or not (and even though four cisgender swimmers beat them both).
In a follow-up comment, Biles wrote, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” and she tagged Gaines.
bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
Numerous right-wing commenters piled onto Biles for body-shaming a female athlete, noting that she has shared the lasting mental distress she felt after being body-shamed by a gymnastics coach.
In an apology issued on Tuesday, Biles wrote, “I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
“These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect,” Biles continued. “I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful. Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over.”
She concluded, “I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.”
I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me…
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 10, 2025
About an hour after Biles’ apology, Gaines wrote, “I accept Simone’s apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She’s still the greatest female gymnast of all time.”
Gaines then wrote that trans teenage girls are hurting, humiliating, and abusing their female teammates and competitors just by participating in competitive sports. The vilification of trans girls and women as a threat to other girls and women contributes to stigma and violence against trans individuals and their allies in the name of “protecting women.”
“You can’t have any empathy and compassion for the girls if you’re ignoring when young men are harming or abusing them,” Gaines wrote. “I am not ashamed to be a voice for the voiceless.”
Gaines then said she proudly supported the president’s executive order threatening to punish schools and organizations that allow trans women to compete on women’s teams.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Advocates for Trans Equality, said the order “does nothing to address the real issues facing women and girls in athletics, such as unequal access to funding and facilities, abuse by coaches, physicians, and other trusted adults, and the unconscionable gender pay gap in professional sports.”
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