Riley Gaines: US swimming champion defiant after transgender ... - TalkTV
Collegiate swimming champion Riley Gaines has said she will not be deterred after being chased and assaulted by a group of trans activists at San Francisco State University.
Ms Gaines was delivering a speech about competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas during the women's national college swimming championships last year.
Ms Gaines accuses Thomas of being "An arrogant cheat who stole a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman."
During her speech, Ms Gaines claims she was ambushed by the pro-trans protesters who forced her to flee and barricade herself in a classroom for three hours.
Ms Gaines said: "I was assaulted. I was extorted and held for ransom. The protestors demanded I pay them if I wanted to make it home safely and I missed my flight home."
Speaking on Fox News after the event, Ms Gaines told Tucker Carlson: "This does not deter me. This assures me I am doing the right thing. This will not silence me. When they want me to be silenced, it just means I need to speak louder.
“It was terrifying. The police did not inform me of any sort of action plan. I delivered a very civil and respectful speech where I had great dialog with protesters who were participating in a sit-in.
"All of a sudden, after my speech, the room was stormed, the lights were turned off, and I was rushed with no one there to escort me to a safe place.”
She added: "I am worried about my safety. I have to be now when we have people who are willing to do this.
"And we know why they’re willing to do this – it’s because they don’t have reason, they don’t have logic, they don’t have science, they don’t have common sense on their side. That’s on my side."
San Francisco State University released the following statement after footage from the protest went viral: "Let me begin by saying clearly: the trans community is welcome and belongs at San Francisco State University.
"Thank you to our students who participated peacefully in Thursday evening's event. It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space...I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully."
