Riley Gaines, a conservative activist who has gained prominence by speaking against transgender athletes in sports, is set to appear in Hamilton County on Thursday for a fundraiser event.
Gaines, while a swimmer at the University of Kentucky, tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle NCAA championship in 2022. Thomas became the first trans woman to win an NCAA Division I championship when she took top honors in the 500-yard freestyle that same year, according to ESPN.
(READ MORE: Activist Riley Gaines to headline Young Republicans fundraiser in Collegedale)
Since that experience, Gaines has toured the country and appeared in the media to argue against the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports.
“How is this happening? How did we get here? How are we really at a point where we’re allowing fully grown, fully naked men to undress in women’s locker rooms?” Gaines said in a video interview Wednesday. “I think there’s definitely a shock factor, a disbelief factor, but what I’m seeing is people really are fed up. They’re ready to do something.”