Riley Gaines claims it’s concerned Democrats who are ‘fearmongering’ over trans sports ban

Anti-trans pundit Riley Gaines claims Democrats who voted against a bill to ban trans women from female sports are the ones “fearmongering about predators”, not Republicans.

On Tuesday (14 January) the US House of Representatives passed a Republican-led bill which could change Title IX protections and see that only people assigned female at birth can participate in female sports with a vote of 218-206-1.

Entitled the ‘Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act‘, the legislation narrowly cleared the house and was voted in favour of by every Republican and voted against by every Democrat except two: Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales of Texas. Don Davis of North Carolina was the one rep who voted “present”.

The bill states schools receiving federal funding would violate the law if they “permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls”, with sex defined as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth”.

It comes just a wee kbefore president-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House on 20 January after he pledged on the campaign trail to bar trans people from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity.

In response to the bill’s passage, Gaines – a former NCAA swimmer who is leading a lawsuit against the NCAA for allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas to compete – said at a press conference the US is “one step closer as a nation to making sure that not one more male athlete is able to take a trophy, a roster spot, playing time, resources or an opportunity to compete, from a woman.”

She also took aim at the majority of Democrats who voted against the bill and those in the party who suggested the possibility that children could be made to undergo inspections of their genitals to prove whether or not they are trans.

“We heard of things like genital exams, we heard that girls would be asked to show what’s in their underwear, we heard that they would have to show internal and external anatomy, inspections, Taliban-like enforcers, hire predators to peak at enforcers on and on and on, weird fearmongering about predators, but that’s what Democrats do best,” Gaines said.

“I heard that this bill is a waste of time, and let me tell you the message I received when I heard that, it’s that I am a waste of time.”

She continued: “Girls around the country, just like me, are a waste of time. Your daughters are a waste of time to all House Democrats except for two.”

At the same press conference, house speaker Mike Johnson called it “a great day for women in America”, saying the “house voted to uphold common sense again”.

South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace, who made a name for herself after leading a campaign to ban Sarah McBride – the first trans member of congress – from the Capitol building’s female bathrooms, also took aim at Democrats after bill passed the house.

“206 members who can’t define what a woman is voted to erase women,” she wrote on X.

On the other side, Hakeem Jeffries reiterated the potential threat to children in a statement on Bluesky.

“The House Republican Child Predator Empowerment Act does not promote fairness and safety in sports. It will unleash horrific child predators on girls and young women throughout America. Unacceptable,” he wrote.

New York rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent she was pleased to see the vast majority of Democrats vote against the bill.

“We can’t be ninnies about this,” she said. “These are just the early days. Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet, and if a little bitty sports bill was gonna make Dems defect, we’re not in good shape.”

Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement: “We all want sports to be fair, students to be safe, and young people to have the opportunity to participate alongside their peers.

“But this kind of blanket ban deprives kids of those things. This bill would expose young people to harassment and discrimination, emboldening people to question the gender of kids who don’t fit a narrow view of how they’re supposed to dress or look.

“It could even expose children to invasive, inappropriate questions and examinations. Participating in sports is about learning the values of teamwork, dedication, and perseverance.

“And for so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong. We should want that for all kids – not partisan policies that make life harder for them.”