RALEIGH — Riley Gaines, the decorated former University of Kentucky swimmer and Independent Women’s Voice Advisor, said she never thought it should be “political” to protect girls’ sports.
In an interview with North State Journal on Monday, Gaines made the case for House Bill 574, which was vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper, to be enacted into law.
Gaines testified in committee meetings at the General Assembly in support of the bill in April, telling legislators, “I felt betrayed and belittled and like my efforts and sacrifices I had made had been reduced to a photo op to validate the identity and feelings of a male.”
The bill passed both the N.C. House and Senate in late June. On July 3, Cooper vetoed the bill and two others concerning parents’ rights and ending gender transition surgeries for those under 18.
Cooper said the bills were for “campaign purposes only” and dismissed them as political culture wars.
“Republicans are serving up a triple threat of political culture wars using government to invade the rights and responsibilities of parents and doctors, hurting vulnerable children and damaging our state’s reputation and economy like they did with the harmful bathroom bill,” said Cooper in a statement. “Republicans should get to work investing in our public schools and teachers, lowering the cost of living and creating more stability for middle class families.”
Gaines said those arguments don’t make sense to her.
“His argument, actually, I didn’t understand it at all,” she said. “He essentially said that, if we were to pass this (HB 574) ultimately in the long term, it hurts women. I couldn’t grasp what he means.
“Being on the ground in North Carolina several times testifying, they claimed this is a nonissue, it’s not really happening. ‘Why should we really care?’ To say it’s not happening is to completely disregard what happened to Payton McNabb and many others… Payton especially, she’s still dealing with the implications from being physically hit in the face by a ball struck by a man who of course has 50% more upper body strength than an average woman.”
McNabb, who was competing for Hiwassee Dam High School in Cherokee County, said she suffered a concussion and neck injury after getting struck in the face by a ball spiked by a transgender athlete during a volleyball match in November 2022.
The bill language states that male students are prohibited from playing on middle school, high school or collegiate athletics teams specifically for females and a student’s sex is to be recognized solely on their birth gender.
Gaines said those who oppose that measure are “waiting for more girls to get hurt.”
“They’re waiting for more girls to be exploited in the locker room, she said. “They’re waiting for more girls to lose out on opportunities before they do something about it. Why wouldn’t you want to be proactive about something if it meant less girls got hurt, less girls got injured, less girls were exposed to someone of the opposite of sex in a vulnerable area such as a locker room? I don’t understand that.”
The decorated swimmer said the upcoming override vote shouldn’t be a political issue.
“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to be proactive when it comes to protecting girls,” said Gaines. “I can only hope and pray and do my best to encourage these legislators to do the right thing.
“Forget the politics of it. Forget securing more votes. Forget catering to the radical minority because you’re scared of losing your job. Put yourself in Payton’s position if you’re a parent. Imagine this happening to your daughter. How could you live with yourself knowing you voted against something that would protect your daughter from getting hurt like Payton did?”
Gaines also addressed the economic aspects cited by Cooper.
“There have been no repercussions anywhere from any of the 22 states that have passed this (women’s sports) bill. Even the state of Texas, which hosts tons of Final Fours and championships, passed it. North Carolina is joining a long list of states, especially within the ACC.”
Gaines added that trans athletes should not be banned from playing sports and that every person — regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, identity or age — should have the opportunity to compete plays where it’s fair and safe.
The override votes are scheduled to take place as early as Wednesday, July 12, according to the General Assembly’s website.
