Olympic champion Simone Biles called fellow female athlete Riley Gaines “sick” for her activism against trans athletes in women’s sports.
As Breitbart News reported this week, a transgender athlete helped a Minnesota high school girls’ softball team advance to the state championship after a standout performance, including two double hits while pitching a perfect game without substitution. The player, Marissa Rothenberger, had reportedly “been dominating Minnesota softball all season and “and brought “Champlin Park High’s girls’ softball team out of obscurity, where it has always been in the past.”
On Friday, swimmer Riley Gaines, who became an activist for women’s sports after being forced to compete with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship, responded to the controversy when the official X account for the Minnesota State High School League celebrated the Champlin Park girls team in a post that limited replies as a possible attempt to ward off criticism.
“Comments off lol,” said Gaines as she reposted the team photo. “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Simone Biles later responded by calling Gaines a “bully” and a “sore loser” while demanding she fight for sports to be more inclusive.
“You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” she said. “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 bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
Riley Gaines called Biles’ attack “disappointing.”
“This is actually so disappointing. It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports, and I say that with my full chest,” she responded.
Biles then personally attacked Riley Gaines for her looks and body type.
“Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” posted Biles.
@Riley_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… https://t.co/pjpzuZ0AlO
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
Neither of Biles’ posts was well-received by self-described fans of hers, with many accusing the Olympic gold medalist of essentially pulling the ladder up behind her by advocating for men in women’s sports just after retiring. Others accused her of body-shaming Riley Gaines and insulting girls with certain body types and physiques. Responses were overwhelmingly negative from people of various political persuasions, with supporters being few and far between. Activist Sall Grover noted, for instance, that the Swimming World Cup created a category for transgender athletes but was forced to cancel after no entries were received.
A trans category in swimming was created. None of the men claiming to be women entered it. pic.twitter.com/6dSUvoyEvP
— Sall Grover (@salltweets) June 6, 2025
Biles did not go so far as to advocate for men competing against women. When one commenter said, “There is a reason they have rings in men’s gymnastics, and not women’s,” Biles then told them to use their “comprehension skills.”
“Can you even read? I see we are lacking comprehension skills as well…..” Biles wrote.
Despite that, many users took it to mean Biles either supports men participating in women’s sports or has at least morally and emotionally detached herself from the issue.
Retired athlete who never had to compete against men wants the little girls who idolized her to have to compete against men.
— Magills (@magills_) June 7, 2025
.@Simone_Biles - you are truly heroic for exposing the abuse in women's gymnastics. Something I started in 2008 -- but you brought the attention to it that was sorely needed.
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) June 6, 2025
But seriously? It isn't our responsibility as women to make men feel included in women's sports.… https://t.co/je7oyeWYuP
Imagine being a female Olympian, your whole career only exists because women’s sports exist…
— Sophia Lorey (@SophiaSLorey) June 6, 2025
…then turning around and working to erase women’s sports.
That’s not empowerment, babe. That’s delusion. 🥱 https://t.co/r5FHCAGVIb
How bout this - @Simone_Biles why don't you come on @hertake_podcast and debate this with us. I would honestly like to hear your side. It's a very respectful environment. If you want people to see your point of view and hear your facts come share them. https://t.co/l9MB0ajtbx
— Jillian Michaels (@JillianMichaels) June 7, 2025
Simone Biles just fell from grace.
— Kim Shasby Jones (@KimJonesICONS) June 6, 2025
How do advocate for men at the expense of women?
After women have lifted you up?
This is beyond disappointing and I’m sorry you think so little of female athletes. https://t.co/DtKlnt4Gbm
Easy to say this @Simone_Biles when you only had to compete against fellow women. Every one of your Olympic medals came competing against fellow women. @Riley_Gaines_ was not only forced to compete against a man, but forced to share a locker room with a man. THAT is SICK.… https://t.co/YQl1uPJdVq
— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) June 7, 2025
Oh, we try, Simone. We've pushed for an open category or even a trans category. Guess what! They want the female category. Keep up. Also, thanks for exposing yourself as a female who stands with men. My appreciation for @martina also grew even more, a true champion for female… https://t.co/lNrNjWJOpv
— ⚾️ Mary Elizabeth 🐻 (@mchastain81) June 7, 2025
As an elite female athlete, you should be championing other female athletes, not denigrating them. This is completely disappointing. https://t.co/1Y0SE3tKPO
— La Fleur Sauvage (@belleentropie) June 7, 2025
to have an athlete who owes everything she has to her sport show such a lack of gratitude and class is so disappointing. but despite her intentions, this is already sending an entire new wave of attention to the issue. so thank you @Simone_Biles for your stupidity. https://t.co/uXdDxYW7sW
— Ainsley Erzen (@AinsleyErzen) June 7, 2025
You've built your entire career around complaining about racism in sports, claiming racism limits the achievement of black athletes, yet you bully a woman for defending fair sports for women from being dominated by men.
— Chad Felix Greene 🇮🇱 (@chadfelixg) June 7, 2025
You are the problem. https://t.co/skyMxBnwOV
What a truly sick take from an athlete who never competed against men attacking a woman @Riley_Gaines_ who is taking a stand for women & girls. Pathetic pick me energy. https://t.co/FqnZqbNxtt
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) June 7, 2025
Let it be know that @Simone_Biles has chosen to stand with MEN in WOMENS sports not the girls losing their titles, scholarships, & privacy.
— Kaitlynn Wheeler (@WheelerKaitlynn) June 6, 2025
You don’t get to build your legacy in women’s sports, then advocate for their erasure.@Simone_Biles you NOT a champion for women. https://t.co/lPximrhBwb
You just ruined your legacy. https://t.co/Cmo3wSl7Cm
— Rhonda Chaloux (@rchaloux) June 7, 2025
The only bully here is you Simone. Bullying Riley and bullying countless girls and women who lose out to boys and men in their sports- something you didn’t have to deal with.
— Taylor Silverman (@tmsilverman) June 6, 2025
Your amazing achievements are because of the existence of female sport. Think this one through.
— Sall Grover (@salltweets) June 6, 2025
The pro-trans crowd always resorts to demeaning and bullying women into compliance, and @Simone_Biles is no exception.
— Jackie Chea ⚖️ (@Fair_and_Biased) June 7, 2025
Horrible to see a female icon treat another woman this way in order to defend a man’s right to female spaces.
The real bullying is allowing men to compete against women and calling it “inclusion.”
— Anna Lulis (@annamlulis) June 7, 2025
Simone, you’ve inspired millions of girls through your talent and hard work. But the trans athletes you're defending—biological men stealing hard-earned victories from real women—could’ve…
I now regret defending you.
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) June 7, 2025
Wow, it’s disgusting to see a woman bully another woman for standing up for girls and women everywhere in women’s sports. You seem content to let girls and women in sports be pushed out by MALES who aren’t talented enough to compete at the top of *their* craft so they steal…
— 50 ѕнα∂єѕ σƒ 2025 (@ShadesOfPunky) June 7, 2025
I’ve only ever tweeted about @Simone_Biles once—and it was to support her when others were tearing her down.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) June 7, 2025
Sad to see her attack @Riley_Gaines_, who’s just defending women’s sports and spaces.
I hope my daughter never has to go through what Riley did. pic.twitter.com/ugJg9vEAwn
This is so disappointing to see.
— HeCheated.org (@hecheateddotorg) June 6, 2025
Riley has done more for women's sports than you ever have.
You fought for your own medals.
Riley is fighting for other women and girls to receive theirs.
Americans overwhelmingly support keeping men out of women’s sports by a sizable majority that has only grown in recent years, according to the latest polls.
“A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll that found 79 percent of Americans believe trans athletes should not be allowed to participate in women’s athletics,” noted The Hill earlier this year.
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