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what did simone biles say about riley gaines

Simone Biles called out Riley Gaines in early June 2025 over Gaines’ comments about transgender athletes, then followed up with a public clarification and apology for getting personal.

What Simone Biles Originally Said

  • Biles replied to a post in which Gaines mocked a Minnesota high school softball team with a transgender girl on the roster, calling the player “a dude” and saying the championship was “hijacked.”
  • In response, Biles labeled Gaines “truly sick” and a “straight up sore loser,” saying Gaines was campaigning because she lost a race to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in college.
  • Biles wrote that Gaines should be “uplifting the trans community” and “finding a way to make sports inclusive or creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports,” even suggesting “maybe a transgender category in ALL sports.”
  • She also accused Gaines of bullying transgender athletes, many of whom are minors, and told her to “pick on someone your own size.”

Her Follow-Up and Apology

  • After backlash and intense debate, Biles posted a longer statement saying she regretted making the feud personal and apologized specifically for the personal remarks about Gaines.
  • She emphasized that her “objection is to singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal or harmful,” stressing that individual young athletes “should never be the focus” of attacks about a flawed system.
  • Biles reiterated that she believes both competitive equity and inclusivity are essential in sport, acknowledged that these are “sensitive, complicated issues” without easy answers, and said the conversation should start from empathy and respect.

TL;DR: Simone Biles publicly blasted Riley Gaines as a “truly sick” “sore loser” who bullies trans athletes and urged her to support inclusivity (even suggesting a separate transgender category), then later clarified that her main concern was protecting kids from being targeted and apologized for getting personal with Gaines.

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