Three years ago, NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines declared October 10 “XX Day,” an opportunity to celebrate female athletes who refuse to bow to radical left-wing gender ideology. 
This October 10, the XX-XY Athletics Fund announced several new 2025 Courage Wins Champions from a group of young women who hail from two of the most radical states in the nation, Oregon and California.
These female athletes didn’t just talk about fairness in sports. They put their names, reputations, and safety on the line to defend it.
They are high school athletes with no publicists or powerful sponsors backing them up. But despite the mainstream media and other powerful forces opposing them, these athletes stood proudly for the truth.
Jennifer Sey, the founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, says that deep personal conviction is contagious. 
“At a time when threats and bullying have escalated to violence, we are more determined than ever to use our voices and to reward those brave enough to use theirs to stand up for truth and biological reality,” Sey told The Daily Wire of the new winners.
“We need more speech, not less,” she added. “So we’re doubling down and awarding more winners than ever.” Sey added that these athletes are fighting “giants” like Nike and California Governor Gavin Newsom from “ground zero of the battle for fairness in sports.”
She went on, “It’s also notable that today is the deadline for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to honor the sex-based rights of women in his state or cave to ideological bullies’ demands. He’s a coach and he knows the realities of sport. Young athletes like Kendall Kotzmacher are saving the day so high school girls won’t be erased and humiliated in their own sport.”
“By acknowledging and celebrating these brave young women, we hope to encourage more to stand up in defense of women’s sports as well,” Sey concluded.
Oregon is a state where track and field reigns supreme and where Nike, one of the most aggressively “gender progressive” sports brands, is headquartered. This is where five high school girls made a stand that challenged their state’s athletic programs.
Reese Eckard, Maddie Eischen, and Sophia Carpenter refused to compete against a male athlete at the Chehalem Track and Field Classic last spring. They knew it might cost them friends, rankings, and potentially their athletic futures, but they did it anyway.
<div id="attachment_983855" style="width: 738px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-983855" class="size-large wp-image-983855" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Alexa-Anderson-728x576.jpg" alt="Alexa Anderson" width="728" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Alexa-Anderson-728x576.jpg 728w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Alexa-Anderson-300x237.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Alexa-Anderson-768x607.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Alexa-Anderson.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" />XX-XY Athletics</div>
“I am so grateful for the support XX-XY Athletics has given me as I speak out for fairness in girls’ sports.   I’ve gained so much courage from the other athletes here in Oregon who are also standing up for equal opportunity. Thank you to XX-XY for empowering me to share the truth. Together, our message becomes even stronger,” Eckard said in a statement. 
Their act of defiance sparked something bigger. When All-American runner Sophia Castañeda, the fastest female sophomore in Oregon history in the 400m, lost to a male athlete and was bullied for speaking up, she joined forces with the others. Together, they filed suit against the Oregon Schools Athletic Association.
<div id="attachment_983857" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-983857" class="size-large wp-image-983857" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Sophia-Castaneda-767x576.jpeg" alt="Sophia Castaneda" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Sophia-Castaneda-767x576.jpeg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Sophia-Castaneda-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Sophia-Castaneda-768x577.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Sophia-Castaneda.jpeg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />XX-XY Athletics</div>
And that’s not all. In a now-viral image, Alexa Anderson and Eckard can be seen stepping off the podium after a male competitor was crowned the girls’ state high jump champion. 
“I just didn’t think that it’s fair to biological females to allow and encourage biological males to compete among us, not only for myself and the other girl that stepped down, but the girl who should have been on the podium and the girl who didn’t even get to go to state because she was beaten by a biological male at districts,” Anderson said. 
“It is not about hate or transphobia at all. It’s about protecting women’s rights and their right to fair and equal competition within sports,” she said.
These are high schoolers fighting the same multi-billion-dollar sports industry that silenced adult Olympians. Their courage didn’t just win applause. It earned them the title of 2025 Courage Wins Champions.
Over in California, the ideological capital of this cultural madness, Governor Newsom’s administration is suing the federal government to preserve policies that force girls to compete against biological males. 
At Jurupa Valley High School, three teenage girls, including sisters Alyssa and Madison McPherson and their teammate Hadeel Hazameh, are refusing to play along.
<div id="attachment_983859" style="width: 506px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-983859" class="size-large wp-image-983859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Hadeel-Hazameh-496x576.jpeg" alt="Hadeel Hazameh" width="496" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Hadeel-Hazameh-496x576.jpeg 496w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Hadeel-Hazameh-258x300.jpeg 258w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Hadeel-Hazameh-768x892.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Hadeel-Hazameh.jpeg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px" />XX-XY Athletics</div>
“Standing up for what’s right shows more strength than any win or medal ever could,” Hazameh said of their efforts.
They’ve faced everything from online harassment to physical intimidation to threats against their faith. Still, they joined a lawsuit against their school district and the California Department of Education, demanding what should never have been controversial: that girls deserve their own sports.
“It’s not always easy to speak up, but that’s what makes it so powerful. Taking a stand shows other girls that they can be strong, fearless and true to themselves,” Alyssa McPherson said.
Courage Wins Award winners receive up to $5,000 and a spot in a leadership program designed to help them continue speaking up without being punished financially or socially.
That’s the heart of what Sey and XX-XY Athletics are building: a movement that makes standing for truth possible again.
Previous honorees include Brooke Slusser, Lauren Miller, Payton McNabb, Emmy Salerno, Stephanie Turner, Sia Liilii, and the Lincoln Middle School Five, a group of middle schoolers who took on adults and won.
The girls honored this year didn’t ask to be activists; they were just seeking fair competition. But they were unafraid to call out injustice when they saw it, rather than going away quietly. 
The Goliaths they’re fighting, Nike, Newsom, and every screeching activist with a platform, should take note. Because these brave Davids are the new face of women’s sports. 
As Sey put it, “We’re not done yet.”

Reese Eckard

High School Girls Defy Nike And Newsom, Earn ‘Courage Wins’ Awards For Defending Women’s Sports

High School Girls Defy Nike and Newsom, Earn 'Courage Wins' Awards for Defending Women’s Sports

Athlete

gender ideology

Riley Gaines

Title IX

Women's sports

KMD Brands, the parent company of the popular surf brand Rip Curl, posted an $82.9 million loss and will close 21 retail locations, per a report <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15127941/amp/Major-Australian-retailer-forced-close-stores-records-105millon-loss.html">from</a> The Daily Mail. Rip Curl generated $30.6 million in total revenue in FY25 before taxes, representing a 27% decrease in earnings from the previous year. 
This financial update follows the end of Rip Curl&#8217;s longtime partnership with pro surfer Bethany Hamilton and the release of a promotional clip featuring a transgender-identifying male, which led to boycotts.
The Australia-based KMD <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/09/24/kathmandu-rip-curl-owner-slumps-to-huge-full-year-loss/#:~:text=As%20for%20its%20individual%20businesses,New%20ZealandBusiness">said</a> on Wednesday that it had recently restructured its business in a move designed to save $5 million annually. The results for 2024-25 are significantly worse than those of the previous year, when the company posted a $48.3 million loss, according to 1 News in New Zealand. The outlet noted that the company has not been profitable since the 2014-15 fiscal year.
There is no explicit connection between the company’s poor financial performance and its push for transgender inclusion, but social media users have been pointing to the results as proof of the popular adage, “go woke, go broke.”
In January 2024, the international brand released a documentary ad featuring Sasha Jane Lowerson, a male competing in the women’s category for professional surfing, as part of its “Summer Looks Good on You” campaign. Lowerson <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-10836653/Aussie-trans-surfer-makes-history-winning-title-woman.html">previously competed</a> in the men&#8217;s surfing division under the name Ryan Egan until he began his “gender transition” in 2021.
The video received massive backlash, prompting Rip Curl Women to pull the ad just days later. 
“Our recent post has landed us in the divisive space around transgender participation in competitive sport. We want to promote surfing for everyone in a respectful way but … we upset a lot of people with our post and for that, we are sorry … The surfer featured has not replaced anyone on the Rip Curl team and is not a sponsored athlete,” the company <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2ytzd6uAVz/">said</a> in a statement at the time.
Meanwhile, Hamilton, an outspoken Christian and critic of males competing in women’s sports, reacted to the promo by <a href="https://x.com/bethanyhamilton/status/1752051389344448993">posting</a> on X, “Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period.”
Hamilton is best known for losing her arm in a shark attack while surfing when she was 13 years old. But instead of letting the accident quell her love for the sport, she went on to compete into adulthood. Her incredible story was turned into both a book and the movie “Soul Surfer.” 
The pro surfer had previously come out against the World Surf League in 2023 when it adopted the International Surfing Association (ISA) policy on transgender participation in the sport. 
&#8220;This concerns me as a professional athlete that has been competing in the World Surf League events for the past 15-plus years,&#8221; Hamilton <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1622311329821245440">said</a> at the time. 
&#8220;I think many of the girls currently on tour are not in support with this new rule and they fear being ostracized if they speak up,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;We are seeing glimpses of male-bodied dominance in women&#8217;s sports like running, swimming, and others. I personally won&#8217;t be competing in, or supporting, the World Surf League if this rule remains.&#8221;
It’s unclear who initiated the break in sponsorship between Hamilton and Rip Curl, but there’s no denying that the two were at odds when it came to transgender activism. In October 2023, followers noticed that Hamilton’s surfboard, which was always covered in Rip Curl decals, had been stripped bare. 
Hamilton is now sponsored by PublicSquare, an online marketplace that shares her values.
While the exact situation between Hamilton and Rip Curl was never publicly addressed, social media was not kind to the surf brand after it was revealed that it had endorsed males competing in women’s sports.
“Imagine, dropping a phenomenal professional surfer, who survived a shark biting her arm off, only to replace her with a man who pretends to be a woman. Guess what my followers and I will be doing? We will all #BoycottRipCurl,” one person <a href="https://x.com/unhealthytruth/status/1751312157608751228">wrote</a> on X.

RipCurl

Rip Curl Earnings Plunge 27% After Boycotts Tied To Transgender Surfer Promotion

Australia

Business

Economy

Surfing

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

We&#8217;ve known for a very long time in this country that if you said the wrong thing about the trans issue, you could be canceled.
But now, finally, there are people — heretofore on the Left — who are acknowledging that the threat of cancellation has been real.
This is just one of the beautiful flowering fruits of the Trump administration: people are now free to say things they weren’t allowed to say before.
It’s not clear whether people are deciding that they want to say what is currently more popular or if they genuinely repent having been bullied into acceptance of the trans agenda.
On Wednesday, Malcolm Gladwell, a famous bestselling author, explained his amended point of view on transgender athletes, meaning men playing against women in sports. He was speaking specifically about a 2022 appearance at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, where he moderated a panel discussion in which they talked about the path forward for the inclusion of trans athletes in sports, meaning men competing against women.
On Wednesday, Gladwell stated to 2022 panel co-host Ross Tucker, &#8220;I’m ashamed of my performance at that panel because I share your position 100%, and I was cowed. The idea of saying anything on this issue — I was, I believe in retrospect — in a dishonest way, I was objective in a dishonest way.”
That is honest. Many people were so scared of saying what was obviously true that they didn&#8217;t say it.
This happens all the time in politics. It happened in Great Britain during the Rotherham grooming scandal, when members of the media specifically decided not to cover the fact that there were Muslim grooming gangs, Muslim men, who were grooming underage white girls for sex and then passing them around.
People in the media knew about this, and they decided not to say anything, because to say something would have resulted in censure and public opprobrium as well as people in power suggesting that you were somehow in league with the Right.
And for a very long time in this country and the UK, being in league with the Right was code for being thrown out of public life.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2273-unspoken-truths-on-trans-can-now-be-said?elementPosition=1&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
I don&#8217;t believe that every view is equivalent. I&#8217;m not a moral relativist. I don&#8217;t believe that we should take every view with equal seriousness. I do think that there is an Overton window, meaning the arena of valuable discussion.
The problem is that the Left shut the Overton window so much that if you disagreed with the Left and fundamentally true principles such as “men are not women,” they would throw you out.
So, for many members of the Right, the question becomes: what do you do when Malcolm Gladwell says something like this? What do you do?
The answer is you probably should offer forgiveness. You probably should offer some form of generosity. While you can make the argument that what Gladwell did was cowardly, it’s more about the insane echo chamber that exists in so many of our elite spaces.
The reality is, if you said what Malcolm Gladwell now says in 85% of the country, you&#8217;d be totally fine; it is the mainstream view.
But if you were in the elite circles in which Malcolm Gladwell travels, you would have lost your social standing. You might have lost your job; people would stop reviewing your books. There was a real risk attached.
It is a credit to President Trump and the American people that the Overton window has been opened again. The American people didn’t want to do this anymore. They were done.
That’s not true in Great Britain, where cancel culture has been enshrined in government policy.
What prevents that from happening in the United States is not our magical adherence to First Amendment principles as a people. Unfortunately, there are many, many people in the United States who — if they had the opportunity —would vote to curb free speech. If you look at the polls of young people, young people overwhelmingly believe that hate speech should trump free speech. According to many polls, young people believe there should be legal limits on the kinds of speech one should be allowed to say out loud.
What protects us is the structure of the Constitution. It is the fact that the Constitution bars Congress from doing what the British government is doing in Great Britain. And the Supreme Court has made very clear that in deference to the Constitution, free speech must be protected at the highest possible level.
The Founders knew what they were doing.
And President Trump, by opening the Overton window and making it possible for those on the Right to be heard and not canceled, is paying tribute to the Founders in the best possible way.

Audible’s The Unusual Suspects With Kenya Barris And Malcolm Gladwell Live With Brené Brown – 2025 SXSW Conference And Festival

Unspoken Truths On Trans Can Now Be Said

Ben Shapiro

Books

Cancel Culture

Democrats

Leftists

Malcolm Gladwell

Opinion

I expect to cover a lot of cultural madness in my line of work. But I never thought I’d ever find myself voluntarily writing about sex toys.
But over the past few weeks, spectators of WNBA games have taken to throwing rubber phalluses on the court during games.
And so, here we are.
I’m not going to pretend I’ve been a solemn moralist about this from the start. Like many of you, my group texts lit up with this story. The memes? Outstanding. Some of the best work the internet has produced in months. Humor has a way of finding you in moments of absurdity, and I laughed out loud.
But somewhere between a chuckle and a thousand retweets, we blew past a very obvious line.
There’s a difference between laughing about something and endorsing the thing itself. And this? This isn’t streaking, where the joke is on the guy who gets embarrassed, tackled, and escorted out. This is a targeted attempt to humiliate the athletes playing. It’s not about the clown in the stands — it’s about degrading the women on the court.
And one can all but guarantee it’s been men every single time. No woman is throwing this. We’ve all been to enough sporting events to know this is some guy in his late twenties, liquored up, in ripped jeans. Or, as <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nyc-man-wearing-beavis-butthead-064652224.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new images</a> have exposed the first person to be caught, a guy in a Beavis and Butthead shirt. This stuff writes itself.
Spoiler: this guy’s not a hero. He’s a creep.
He’s also not an athlete — his toss didn’t make it to the court, and instead <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/12-year-old-girl-struck-sex-toy-thrown-wnba-game-brooklyn-suspect-soug-rcna224292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struck a 12-year-old girl</a> who proceeded to “freak out.”
As of this writing, we’ve had four of these incidents, not counting the one above. They’ve happened in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and most recently in Seattle. You could almost imagine Vegas laying odds on it, and in fact, they have. According to Legal Sports Betting and SCCG Management, prop bets have included:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Will the next dildo still be green? — Yes at –200, No at +150.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Color odds: rainbow at +500, pink at +300, blue at +1400.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Even wagers on how it gets removed—kicked off the court vs. picked up by hand, both around –120.</li>
</ul>
It’s the same energy as the “streaker” prop bet before the Super Bowl — except it makes an unwilling punchline out of the athletes on the court.
Here’s the awkward truth for WNBA fans: the stunt worked. It generated more buzz for the league than any actual highlight this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if Google search trends for “WNBA” spiked higher in those moments than they did for last year’s Finals. On one level, you could call it a marketing success story. On the other hand, you could call it what it is — a sad commentary on the state of sports attention spans.
The players themselves have been clear. Chicago Sky center Elizabeth Williams called it “super disrespectful,” and “really immature,” and said that “whoever is doing it needs to grow up.” Sophie Cunningham took to social media: “Stop throwing dildos on the court … you’re going to hurt one of us.” Cecilia Zandalasini, who had to keep playing through one of the incidents, said, “I’ve never seen anything like that … we stayed locked in.”
Imagine working your entire life to reach the top of your sport — grueling training, constant travel, the pressure of competing at the highest level — and now that you’ve made it, instead of talking about a game-winning three, you have to talk about people chucking sex toys at you.
The WNBA isn’t my go-to watch. But that’s irrelevant here. Respect is not conditional on entertainment value. I don’t have to love your sport to acknowledge your dignity as a professional athlete. And a woman!
This also isn’t happening in a vacuum. Kids go to these games. Parents bring their daughters to watch their heroes in action, to dream about someday playing on that same court. What does it say about our society if those kids have to watch security scramble to clean up a sex toy, or worse, duck out of the way as one flies through the air?
To the inevitable “lighten up, it’s just a joke” crowd — no. There’s a baseline of decency that keeps sports a place where everyone can enjoy themselves. We used to know this instinctively. But now we’re so addicted to viral moments that the only question is whether someone caught it on their phone.
Again, I’m no prude. I’ve laughed at this. I’ve probably laughed harder than I should have. But part of being an adult is knowing when the joke has gone too far. We live in a culture that already does enough to cheapen sex, mock boundaries, and chip away at basic respect. We don’t need to import that into women’s basketball.
The irony is impossible to ignore. For years, women’s sports advocates have been fighting to protect female athletes from unfair competition — most of it coming from men trying to insert themselves, literally, into the women’s category. Now, they’re being forced to dodge rubber reminders of that fight mid-game.
This whole situation has been fun, but it’s time to bring the national conversation back to things that matter. If we’re talking about women’s sports, we should be talking about removing male anatomy from women’s sports, not flinging rubber replicas onto the hardwood.
Because once the gag becomes more important than the game, we’re no longer sports fans. We’re just another symptom of the cultural rot we claim to be laughing at.
Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast “We The People.” Follow him on Instagram and X @GatesGarciaFL.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

WNBA Finals – Game Four

The WNBA Sex Toy Incident Was Funny. But It’s Gone Too Far.

Sports

WNBA

Fans have thrown sex toys onto the court during WNBA games on three different occasions this past week.
Most recently, Indiana Fever standout Sophie Cunningham was the first to notice a bright green device on the court when her team faced off against the Los Angeles Sparks. The incident occurred after a free throw, right before halftime.
The culprit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6537792/2025/08/06/sophie-cunningham-sex-toy-wnba-indiana-fever/">fled the arena</a> after throwing the sex toy, according to security personnel.
Clay Travis, the founder of Outkick, commented on the trend and posted video of the latest incident on X. &#8220;A third green d**** has been thrown at a WNBA game!&#8221; he said. &#8220;This time in LA. Atlanta, Chicago and LA now. It appears the d**** may have lightly grazed Sophie Cunningham who tweeted not to hit players with the d*****. This is an all time story. This league!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A third green dildo has been thrown at a WNBA game! This time in LA. Atlanta, Chicago and LA now. It appears the dildo may have lightly grazed Sophie Cunningham who tweeted not to hit players with the dildos. This is an all time story. This league! <a href="https://t.co/zlXUGeOCFf">pic.twitter.com/zlXUGeOCFf</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1952928274419527901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts called the trend &#8220;ridiculous,&#8221; &#8220;dumb,&#8221; and &#8220;stupid.&#8221;
“It’s also dangerous,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6537792/2025/08/06/sophie-cunningham-sex-toy-wnba-indiana-fever/">said</a>. &#8220;Player safety is number one, respecting the game, all those things. I think it’s really stupid.”
As noted by Travis, Cunningham seemed to crack a joke about the trend earlier in the week, posting on X, &#8220;stop throwing d****s on the court… you’re going to hurt one of us.&#8221; The post received more than 36 million views.
Following the incident during the Fever/Sparks game, Cunningham noted the post &#8220;did NOT age well.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
this did NOT age well. <a href="https://t.co/K1WGbOWEjJ">https://t.co/K1WGbOWEjJ</a>
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/sophaller/status/1952962130912919737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
On Tuesday, someone threw a similarly green sex toy onto the court during a Golden State Valkyries vs. Atlanta Dream game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Someone threw a green dildo on the court during a WNBA game tonight. <a href="https://t.co/mFSESW6cfE">pic.twitter.com/mFSESW6cfE</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1950383302126567831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
The trend has been so widely commented on that people can now actually bet on the color of the next sex toy to be thrown onto the WNBA court.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You can now bet on what color the next dildo thrown on a WNBA court will be. <a href="https://t.co/8il9I85dJi">pic.twitter.com/8il9I85dJi</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1951709251904430566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
The WNBA, though, is not finding the trend so comical, for obvious reasons. So far, at least one person has been arrested for pulling the stunt. The WNBA said in a statement that any person throwing objects onto the court will be ejected and banned from league games for one year.
“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league,” the statement said. “Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans. In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-players-ruthlessly-mocked-for-equal-pay-t-shirts?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WNBA+Players+Ruthlessly+Mocked+For+Equal+Pay+T-Shirts">WNBA Players Ruthlessly Mocked For Equal Pay T-Shirts</a>

Indiana Fever v Los Angeles Sparks

Fans Keep Throwing Sex Toys On Court During WNBA Games

Caitlin Clark

America First Policy Institute (AFPI) filed a <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/assets/uploads/files/Oregon-1a-case-072325.pdf">federal lawsuit</a> against the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) on Wednesday, standing up for two female athletes who were relegated to the sidelines when they silently protested being forced to share the medals podium with a male athlete.
Jessica Hart Steinmann, executive general counsel at AFPI, <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/afpi-sues-oregon-school-activities-association-for-silencing-female-athletes-first-amendment-rights">explained</a> the lawsuit filed on behalf of Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard, who earned 3rd and 4th place medals in the high jump at the 2025 state championship meet.
&#8220;These young women earned their place on the podium—and the right to express themselves,&#8221; Steinmann said. &#8220;Instead of respecting their viewpoint that girls’ sports should be for girls only, Oregon officials sidelined them. The First Amendment protects the right to dissent—school officials don’t get to reprimand students who refuse to agree with their beliefs.&#8221;
The complaint alleges that the OSAA has a long history of supporting student protests when the cause aligns with officials&#8217; political views — Black Lives Matter, for example — but selectively discriminated against Anderson and Eckard. It also alleges that the trans-identifying athletes were given special privileges at that particular meet, &#8220;allowing them to skip inspection protocols and competition rules that female athletes were required to follow.&#8221;
Following their events at the state championship meet at the end of May, Eckard and Anderson refused to step onto the medals podium alongside the trans-identifying athlete — who had tied for fifth place. Instead, they turned their backs on the podium and stood behind it. As soon as officials realized what they were doing, they were waved off to the side.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Oregon girls high jump state championships just finished. 2 of the females refused to step on the podium with the male competitor and an adult official relegated them to the sideline for refusing. THIS MUST END. <a href="https://t.co/dxIzL8Qf95">https://t.co/dxIzL8Qf95</a> <a href="https://t.co/mAVVNBIPhW">pic.twitter.com/mAVVNBIPhW</a>
— Leigh Ann O&#8217;Neill (@LaLONeill) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaLONeill/status/1928961098419450113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Anderson later said in a statement to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/girls-track-field-athletes-dont-stand-podium-next-trans-athlete-oregon-state-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News Digital</a>, &#8220;We didn’t refuse to stand on the podium out of hate. We did it because someone has to say this isn’t right. In order to protect the integrity and fairness of girls [sic] sports we must stand up for what is right.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trans-track-athlete-wins-varsity-girls-competition-previously-placing-last-against-jv-boys-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trans-identifying athlete</a> — who now goes by the name Lia Rose — previously competed on the boys team as Zachary Rose in 2023, where he took 11th place out of 11 competitors in the JV high jump event.

Athlete woman doing high jump

Lawsuit Targets Oregon Officials Who Shut Down Female Athletes Protesting Male Competitor

Lawsuit Targets Officials Who Shut Down Oregon Track Athletes For Protesting Male Competitors

Gender Identity

Politics

Track and Field

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee quietly changed its policy this week to comply with President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order and ban men from competing against women.
The move marks another major win for conservatives and the Trump administration, who have fought to protect women&#8217;s sports. The committee, which posted an update to its Athlete Safety Policy on Monday, stated that it would &#8220;continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities &#8230; to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic &amp; Amateur Sports Act,&#8221; NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/us-olympic-paralympic-committee-will-comply-trumps-ban-transgender-wom-rcna220369">reported</a>.
Executive Order 14201 refers to Trump&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports/">Keeping Men Out of Women&#8217;s Sports</a>&#8221; action that he signed on February 5. The U.S. Olympic Committee&#8217;s updated policy flew under the radar when the change was made on Monday since it does not mention the word &#8220;transgender&#8221; in any of its 27 pages. The committee confirmed that the men are now banned from competing against women, saying it held “a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” after Trump signed the executive order, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/us/politics/us-olympics-trans-women-athletes-ban-trump.html">The New York Times</a>.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee&#8217;s decision doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that other countries will prevent men from competing in women&#8217;s sports, but the committee said it would work with international groups, such as the International Olympic Committee, to focus on providing safe and fair environments for women. The next Summer Olympic Games will be held in the United States under Trump&#8217;s watch in 2028. The 2026 Winter Olympics will be hosted by Italy.
In the 2024 Summer Games, Imane Khelif of Algeria, a boxer who had failed gender tests, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boxer-who-failed-gender-tests-wins-gold-in-womens-boxing-without-dropping-single-round-entire-olympic-run">dominated</a> the women&#8217;s welterweight division and won the gold medal. Khelif&#8217;s success in Paris drew outrage across the globe. In 2021, trans-identifying man Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand competed against women in weightlifting in the Tokyo Games, but Hubbard did not compete in Paris. Chelsea Wolfe, a man who identifies as a woman, was also at the Tokyo Olympics as a reserve cyclist for the U.S. women’s BMX Freestyle team.
Recent <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-americans-oppose-trans-women-competing-female-sports-2-3-gen-z-rcna203658">polling</a> from NBC News showed that a vast majority (75%) of Americans do not want trans-identifying men competing against women in female sports. That included two out of three people in Gen Z, who want women&#8217;s sports to be protected from men.

U.S. Olympics

U.S. Olympic Committee Bans Men In Women’s Sports

Donald Trump

Olympics

U.S.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was unable to definitively provide an answer when he was asked if a child who is eight years old is too young to undergo irreversible transgender procedures.
Newsom, who appears to be ramping up his 2028 presidential campaign efforts, joined podcast host Shawn Ryan this week and was asked point-blank about his personal views on so-called &#8220;gender-affirming care.&#8221;
“What about for your values, is eight years old too young?&#8221; Ryan asked Newsom. 
&#8220;Yeah, I mean look, now that I have a 9-year-old — just became nine. Come on, man, I get it,&#8221; Newsom said. &#8220;So those are legit — it&#8217;s interesting, the issue of age, I haven&#8217;t &#8230; As someone that&#8217;s been so focused on equality, broadly — LGBT rights, particularly, though, gay marriage. The trans issue for me is also novel — it&#8217;s over the last few years, I&#8217;m trying to understand as much as anyone else. The whole pronoun thing, trying to understand all of that. That was like — all that stuff, I get it. All this stuff started to collapse on us.&#8221;
&#8220;On the issue of children, this is a tough, tough issue,&#8221; the governor added.
Newsom later said that he&#8217;s coming to this issue &#8220;more open-minded than I&#8217;ve ever been,&#8221; but also suggested he didn&#8217;t take it seriously early on because conservatives, whom he &#8220;didn&#8217;t respect,&#8221; opposed it.
&#8220;A lot of the pushback came from folks, candidly, that I didn&#8217;t respect, that never respected the gay community, period,&#8221; Newsom said. &#8220;They were people who were opposed to just basic rights, &#8230; so I think that my next inclination was to dismiss, and now I recognize more fully and deeply. And I think the sports issue really opened that door for me.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ryan: Is 8 years old too young for a sex change?
Newsom: Yeah&#8230; Now that I have a 9-year-old, come on man, I get it. <a href="https://t.co/aCSFvwrg9V">pic.twitter.com/aCSFvwrg9V</a>
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1944858509679472709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
Notably, Newsom made California the first “<a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11929233/california-becomes-first-sanctuary-state-for-transgender-youth-seeking-medical-care">sanctuary state</a>” for transgender-identifying minors seeking these life-altering surgeries. The state also has policies that allow teachers to shield parents from knowing about their child&#8217;s &#8220;gender transition.&#8221; 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-anti-gun-at-all-newsoms-latest-attempt-to-disguise-his-rampant-leftism?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Not+Anti-Gun+At+All’%3A+Newsom’s+Latest+Attempt+To+Disguise+His+Rampant+Leftism">‘Not Anti-Gun At All’: Newsom’s Latest Attempt To Disguise His Rampant Leftism</a>

Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom Can’t Say Whether Eight Is Too Young To ‘Transition’ Genders

Newsom Asked If 8 Years Old Is Too Young To ‘Transition.’ He Can’t Answer. 

California

Elections

minors

transgender surgery

Transgenders

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it will sue the state of California for alleged violations of Title IX, in reference to keeping men out of women’s sports.
“Title IX was enacted over half a century ago to protect women and girls from discrimination. The Justice Department will not stand for policies that deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety on the field and in private spaces,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-california-violating-title-ix-denying-girls-athletic-opportunities">statement</a>. “Young women should not have to sacrifice their rights to compete for scholarships, opportunities, and awards on the altar of woke gender ideology.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Actions have consequences—suit filed! California won’t get away with allowing males to take girls’ athletic opportunities away. Stay tuned for more! <a href="https://t.co/lsgSgEg9qI">pic.twitter.com/lsgSgEg9qI</a>
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/AAGDhillon/status/1942991236618420513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Monday, California rejected the resolution agreement from the Trump administration to follow federal law and ban transgender-identifying males from competing athletically with females.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) aligned itself with the California Department of Education (CDE) and refused to sign the resolution agreement. The resolution was proposed on June 25, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the conclusion of its Title IX investigations into the state for allegations of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of sex.
Federal officials found that California was in clear violation of Title IX.
“As a result of the noncompliance finding, OCR has issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to CDE and CIF to resolve their Title IX violations,” the U.S. Department of Education <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-finds-california-department-of-education-and-california-interscholastic-federation-violation-of-title-ix">said</a> in a press release issued last month. “OCR has offered both entities an opportunity to voluntarily agree to change these unlawful practices within 10 days or risk imminent enforcement action, including referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for proceedings.
In March, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, in a move widely regarded as an attempt to distance himself from his leftist record and position himself for a future presidential run, <a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/">claimed</a> on his podcast that he opposed men competing in women&#8217;s sports. When criticisms were made of a high school boy who had won a regional meet, Newsom responded, “I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair. I’m not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”
The lawsuit filed by the DOJ reportedly cited Newsom’s own words, that biological males competing in women’s sports was “deeply unfair.”
The Justice Department slammed policies that “eviscerate equal athletic opportunities for girls &#8230; they also require girls to share intimate spaces, such as locker rooms, with boys, causing a hostile educational environment that denies girls educational opportunities,” Fox News’s Dana Perino <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6375448094112">reported</a>.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated to Perino, “We investigated this; the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education investigated. We told Governor Newsom that we’d be investigating these violations. We found California to be in violation of Title IX; we turned it over to the Justice Department, and they announced this morning that they were filing suit against California.&#8221;
“This is something President Trump campaigned on; his ‘Promises made, promises kept,” she said, adding, “It is the law. The president means business with it.”

President Trump Signs No Men In Women’s Sports Executive Order

‘The President Means Business’: Trump Admin Sues California Over Transgender Athlete Policy

Courts

California on Monday rejected the resolution agreement from the Trump administration to follow federal law and keep men out of women&#8217;s sports.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) aligned itself with the California Department of Education (CDE) and refused to sign the resolution agreement. The resolution was proposed on June 25, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the conclusion of its Title IX investigations into the state for allegations of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of sex.
Federal officials found that California was in clear violation of Title IX.
“As a result of the noncompliance finding, OCR has issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to CDE and CIF to resolve their Title IX violations,” the U.S. Department of Education <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-finds-california-department-of-education-and-california-interscholastic-federation-violation-of-title-ix">said</a> in a press release issued last month. “OCR has offered both entities an opportunity to voluntarily agree to change these unlawful practices within 10 days or risk imminent enforcement action, including referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for proceedings.
In March, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, in a move widely regarded as an attempt to distance himself from his leftist record and position himself for a future presidential run, <a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> on his podcast that he opposed men competing in women&#8217;s sports. When criticisms were made of a high school boy who had won a regional meet, Newsom responded, “I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair. I’m not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”
After the CIF informed the CDE on Monday that it would not sign the resolution agreement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote on X, “Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that ‘it’s an issue of fairness’ was empty political grandstanding,” adding, &#8220;You&#8217;ll be hearing from (Attorney General Pam Bondi).&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
California has just REJECTED our resolution agreement to follow federal law and keep men out of women&#8217;s sports.
Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that “it’s an issue of fairness” was empty political grandstanding.<a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CAgovernor</a>, you&#8217;ll be hearing from <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>. <a href="https://t.co/wa945HtmG6">pic.twitter.com/wa945HtmG6</a>
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/EDSecMcMahon/status/1942299613387522437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“The technical term for what California just did is ‘FA.’ Stay tuned for the rest of the equation,” Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Civil Rights, posted on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The technical term for what California just did is “FA.” Stay tuned for the rest of the equation. <a href="https://t.co/Yh9rulFhec">https://t.co/Yh9rulFhec</a>
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon/status/1942399648443904360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On June 25, McMahon noted:
<blockquote>
Although Governor Gavin Newsom admitted months ago it was “deeply unfair” to allow men to compete in women’s sports, both the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation continued as recently as a few weeks ago to allow men to steal female athletes’ well-deserved accolades and to subject them to the indignity of unfair and unsafe competitions. The Trump Administration will relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls, and our findings today make clear that California has failed to adhere to its obligations under federal law. The state must swiftly come into compliance with Title IX or face the consequences that follow.
</blockquote>

MixCollage-08-Jul-2025-05-20-AM-826

California Rejects Title IX Plan To Keep Boys Out Of Girls’ Sports: ‘You’ll Be Hearing From Bondi’

Crime

Harmeet Dhillon

Pam Bondi

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear two cases revolving around state laws keeping transgender-identifying males out of women’s sports. 
The court is set to consider cases out of Idaho and West Virginia, where laws banning males who identify as women from participating in women&#8217;s and girls&#8217; sports were blocked by lower courts. The news comes just weeks after the high court ruled 6-3 in favor of a Tennessee law that banned transgender medical procedures on minors. 
At issue in the cases are West Virginia’s “Save Women’s Sports Act” and Idaho’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.&#8221;
 In West Virginia, a parent sued to block the 2021 law, arguing that her transgender-identifying son was being discriminated against because he was not allowed on the girls&#8217; cross country team. In Idaho, a transgender-identifying male sued because he wouldn&#8217;t be allowed to join Boise State University&#8217;s women&#8217;s track team under the state&#8217;s law. 
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
West Virginia’s law was blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in April 2024, and Idaho’s law was blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in August 2023. The attorneys general of both states celebrated the court’s decision to take up the case. 
“It’s a great day, as female athletes in West Virginia will have their voices heard. The people of West Virginia know that it’s unfair to let male athletes compete against women; that’s why we passed this commonsense law preserving women&#8217;s sports for women,” said West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey. “We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the Save Women&#8217;s Sports Act because it complies with the U.S. Constitution and complies with Title IX. And most importantly: it protects women and girls by ensuring the playing field is safe and fair.&#8221;
Idaho was the first state to pass a law intended to exclude males from competing in women&#8217;s sports in 2020.
“Idaho’s women and girls deserve an equal playing field,” added Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador. “I am thrilled the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear our case. For too long, activists have worked to sideline women and girls in their own sports. Men and women are biologically different, and we hope the court will allow states to end this injustice and ensure men no longer create a dangerous, unfair environment for women to showcase their incredible talent and pursue the equal opportunities they deserve.”
More than two dozen states have enacted laws similar to those in Idaho and West Virginia, and courts have blocked full implementation in other states, including New Hampshire, Utah, and Montana.

Transgender Rights Advocates Rally Against The Supreme Court’s Ban On Gender-Affirming Youth Care

Red States Set To Defend Women’s Sports At Supreme Court

Idaho

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

West Virginia

Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines thanked President Donald Trump for defending women in sports and for bringing about a deal that resulted in the University of Pennsylvania apologizing for the damage wrought by its decision to allow a trans-identifying male swimmer to compete as a member of its women&#8217;s team.
The agreement also saw Lia (formerly William) Thomas stripped of medals and the records returned to the women who had rightfully earned them — including Gaines, who famously tied with Thomas for fifth place in the 200 freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
&#8220;UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman. Are pigs flying? God bless @realDonaldTrump,&#8221; Gaines wrote in a post on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman.
Are pigs flying?
God bless <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>. <a href="https://t.co/PZxcieyp7m">pic.twitter.com/PZxcieyp7m</a>
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1940187628021694922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But even as Gaines was thanking Trump for his administration&#8217;s efforts to protect women in athletics, others were pointing out the fact that if Gaines herself had not been one of the first to take a stand — to protect herself and other women and girls — that the result she saw on Tuesday might never have been realized.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial&amp;_gl=1*r8odly*_gcl_au*MTQ5MDUzNjQ0NC4xNzQ1ODQ0MzMyLjEwNDAyMzM0NDQuMTc0NzY1MzIxNy4xNzQ3NjUzMjE3*_ga*MTM1OTk4Njg2NS4xNzA2NzE2NTAy*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NTEyOTIzMDQkbzMyJGcxJHQxNzUxMjkyOTI5JGo1NyRsMCRoMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-75638">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
&#8220;UPenn caves after federal investigation into Lia Thomas, and will now enforce Trump’s mandate to BAN men from women’s sports. This is a major win for women everywhere. And it wouldn’t have happened without Riley Gaines. She fought hard and now the tide is turning,&#8221; conservative podcast host Benny Johnson posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UPenn caves after federal investigation into Lia Thomas, and will now enforce Trump’s mandate to BAN men from women’s sports.
This is a major win for women everywhere. And it wouldn’t have happened without Riley Gaines. She fought hard and now the tide is turning. 👊🏻🔥 <a href="https://t.co/rlkgdvIWEz">pic.twitter.com/rlkgdvIWEz</a>
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1940165174364876875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Paula Scanlan, a teammate of Thomas&#8217; at UPenn, spoke out even after being told by school officials to simply shut up and swim. She credits Gaines with helping her to take a stand.
&#8220;I wanted to take a quick moment to thank @Riley_Gaines_. She’s become the teammate I wish I had in college. I was silenced, bullied and unsupported by my teammates and my university. Today and everyday, I’m grateful for our friendship and how much she’s helped me grow,&#8221; Scanlan posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I wanted to take a quick moment to thank <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a>
She’s become the teammate I wish I had in college. I was silenced, bullied and unsupported by my teammates and my university.
Today and everyday, I’m grateful for our friendship and how much she’s helped me grow ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/u1RljDLuue">pic.twitter.com/u1RljDLuue</a>
— Paula Scanlan (@PaulaYScanlan) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulaYScanlan/status/1940217285819691464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Former champion gymnast and XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey added, &#8220;UPenn rescinded all of the accolades given to Will Thomas because we have FREEDOM OF SPEECH in the US. @PaulaYScanlan @Riley_Gaines_ @xx_xyathletics and many others spoke out about the injustice. It made a difference in the end. Happy independence day (sic)!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UPenn rescinded all of the accolades given to Will Thomas because we have FREEDOM OF SPEECH in the US. <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulaYScanlan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulaYScanlan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/xx_xyathletics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xx_xyathletics</a> and many others spoke out about the injustice.
It made a difference in the end.
Happy independence day! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/tqpOu7dzsO">pic.twitter.com/tqpOu7dzsO</a>
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) <a href="https://twitter.com/JenniferSey/status/1940417391495684602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It’s wild that there is a percentage of people brainwashed by their religion (liberalism) to believe it’s &#8216;evil&#8217; to stop people w/ testicles from violating women &amp; dominating their sports. Anyway, shoutout @Riley_Gaines_ for trailblazing on this issue when it was unpopular,&#8221; Jason Howerton added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s wild that there is a percentage of people brainwashed by their religion (liberalism) to believe it’s “evil” to stop people w/ testicles from violating women &amp; dominating their sports.
Anyway, shoutout <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a> for trailblazing on this issue when it was unpopular <a href="https://t.co/8eu3d4q3mC">pic.twitter.com/8eu3d4q3mC</a>
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) <a href="https://twitter.com/jason_howerton/status/1940233088011051510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

NCAA SWIMMING: MAR 18 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships

‘Are Pigs Flying?’: Riley Gaines Praises Trump As UPenn Strips Records From Trans Swimmer

‘Are Pigs Flying?’: Riley Gaines Praises Trump As UPenn Strips Records, Titles From Trans Swimmer

Menu