Riley Gaines is a former college athlete, sex segregationist, and anti-transgender activist. Gaines parlayed competing with trans swimmer Lia Thomas into a lucrative conservative media career. Gaines gone on to be a prominent opponent of transgender athletes in sex-segregated competitive sports.
Gaines is affiliated with several anti-trans groups, including Independent Women’s Forum, Our Bodies, Our Sports. and XX-XY Athletics.
Background
Riley Marie Gaines was born April 21, 2000 in Nashville, Tennessee to Brad and Telisha Gaines. Gaines attended Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tennessee. After failing to qualify at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Gaines attended University of Kentucky. At the 2021 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, Gaines earned seventh in the 200 freestyle and second in the 4 Ă 200 freestyle relay. Gaines is a 12-time All-American and three-time Southeastern Conference champion.
Gaines married Louis Barker in 2022 and has since used the name Riley Gaines Barker.
Anti-trans activism
At the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, Gaines tied for fifth place in the 200 freestyle with trans swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas later became the first openly trans woman champion in the NCAA women’s division after winning the 500-yard freestyle.
At the time, Gaines told The Daily Wire: “I am in full support of her and full support of her transition and her swimming career… because thereâs no doubt that she works hard too, but sheâs just abiding by the rules that the NCAA put in place, and thatâs the issue.”
From 2023 to 2025, Gaines was titular head of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute. Gaines has spoken at conferences for anti-trans group Independent Council on Womenâs Sports and is supported by Eagle Forum.
Anti-trans legislation under the title the Riley Gaines Act has been signed into law in Georgia and West Virginia.
References
Shellenberger, Michael; Woodhouse, Leighton (April 10, 2023). VIDEO: âOh my Godâ â San Francisco Students React To Trans âKidnappingâ Of Swimmer Riley Gaines. Public https://public.substack.com/p/video-oh-my-god-san-francisco-students
Olohan, Mary Margaret (March 23, 2022). âI Left There With No Trophyâ: NCAA Female Swimmer Who Tied For Fifth With Trans Athlete Says Officials Put Lia Thomas Ahead Of Her. Daily Wire https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-left-there-with-no-trophy-ncaa-female-swimmer-who-tied-for-fifth-with-trans-athlete-says-officials-put-lia-thomas-ahead-of-her
Selected published work by Gaines
Gaines, Riley (2024). Swimming Against the Current. Center Street, ISBN 9781546007449
Gaines, Riley (December 5, 2023). Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial
Services: âThe Importance of Protecting Female Athletics and Title IX.â https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Testimony-Gaines.pdf
Gaines, Riley (June 21, 2023). Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2023-06-21_-_testimony_-_gaines.pdf
Media
Ben Shapiro (June 10, 2025). Ben Shapiro Interviews Riley Gaines About Her Viral Feud With Simone Biles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWCVd-1yNDY
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe (July 31, 2024). Examining the Lia Thomas “Incident” with Riley Gaines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYkvEyLECd8
The Rubin Report with Sage Steele (April 26, 2024). Riley Gaines Makes Sage Steele Go Quiet with Never-Before-Told Details of Lia Thomas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lreItfRxCeE
Joe Rogan Experience with Joe Rogan (March 7, 2024). #2115 – Riley Gaines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-kinevyxJg
Eagle Forum (October 10, 2023). Riley Gaines: Womenâs Sports and Private Spaces are for Women Only! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdChbVlwSNk
Club Random with Bill Maher (August 5, 2023). Riley Gaines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw0BtFnrW6g
Josh Hawley (June 21, 2023). Sen. Hawley Questions Female Sports Advocate Riley Gaines On Competing Against Transgender Athletes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sc-dpoFi70
Jordan B. Peterson (May 11, 2023). Narcissists, Frauds & Enablers: The Death of Women’s Sports | Riley Gaines | EP 356. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08DSMeEpQyY
Fox News (April 6, 2022). Female swimmer who tied Lia Thomas speaks out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-MKufBgav0
Resources
Riley Gaines (rileygaines.com)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
GLAAD Accountability Project (glaad.org/gap)
- Riley Gaines
- glaad.org/gap/riley-gaines
America First Policy Institute (americafirstpolicy.com)
- Riley Gaines, Vice Chair, America First Athletes Coalition
- americafirstpolicy.com/team/riley-gaines
Independent Women’s Forum (iwf.org)
- Riley Gaines, Ambassador
- iwf.org/people/riley-gaines
X/Twitter (x.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
UK Athletics (ukathletics.com)
- Riley Gaines
- ukathletics.com/sports/swimming/roster/player/riley-gaines
IMDb (imdb.com)
- Riley Gaines
- imdb.com/name/nm13563170