Critic of transgender women in women's sports to be Adrian College commencement speaker

ADRIAN — A former collegiate swimmer who now campaigns against transgender women competing in women's sports will be Adrian College's spring commencement speaker.

Riley Gaines swam competitively for the University of Kentucky and was the 2022 Southeastern Conference women’s swimming and diving scholar-athlete of the year, a news release from Adrian College said. She will give the keynote address at AC's spring commencement, which is scheduled for May 5.

Gaines' criticism of transgender women being allowed to compete in women's sports began in March 2022 after she tied for fifth place with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship. In those same championships, Thomas became the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national championship when she won the 500-yard freestyle.

Transgender rules

In January 2022, the NCAA updated its policy on the testosterone levels allowed for transgender women to compete in women's sports. For women's swimming, the athlete's testosterone level had to be less than 10 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L). The NCAA's current limit is less than 5 nmol/L. The normal testosterone level in men is 10 to 35 nmol/L, according to the Mount Sinai Health System in New York. The normal amount in women is 0.5 to 2.4 nmol/L.

In June 2022, World Aquatics, the governing agency for international swimming competitions such as the Olympics, set its current rules on transgender athletes. It says in order to compete a transgender woman must have not experienced male puberty or had male puberty suppressed beginning when physical changes started or before age 12, whichever is later, and they have since continuously maintained their testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L.

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A transgender woman wanting to compete in women's sports would have to undergo hormone therapy to reduce their testosterone levels. Hormone therapy is a typical treatment used by transgender women.

"Feminizing hormone therapy involves taking medicine to block the action of the hormone testosterone," according to the Mayo Clinic. "It also includes taking the hormone estrogen. Estrogen lowers the amount of testosterone the body makes. It also triggers the development of feminine secondary sex characteristics."

Among other changes, reducing testosterone leads to less muscle mass.

A study in the April 2022 Journal of Adolescent Health found that it could take at least three years of gender affirming hormone therapy for transgender women's athletic performance to be comparable to that of cisgender women.

There are few transgender athletes. Transgender people make up 1.6% of the human population, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio in an article in 2023 about legislation that bans transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams in Ohio. "Of that fraction, even less play sports. Only 34 trans athletes have openly competed in U.S. college sports to date and fewer make it to the professional level. Two trans women in the world have made it into the Olympics since the first policy for trans athletes was implemented in 2003. Laurel Hubbard is the only athlete to have ever competed and, contrary to the rhetoric fueling these oppressive bills, she did not dominate or take home any medals."

Rise in notoriety

Since competing against Thomas, Gaines has become nationally known for campaigning against the participation of transgender women in women’s sports. She is the director of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, a nonprofit organization that trains conservative activists, and travels the country speaking at colleges and universities. She also has made frequent appearances on conservative media outlets and appeared with former President Donald Trump during his speech at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference. She also appeared in a panel discussion on transgender issues at the 2023 CPAC.

"This isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a freedom issue," Gaines says on the "about" page of her center's website. "It affects men and women, and girls and boys. Because men don’t want to see women robbed of their opportunities or put in danger. And every person has the right to speak the truth.

"With the Riley Gaines Center, my team and I are traveling the country to spread the word on more college campuses. We’re encouraging more girls and women to share their stories to combat this injustice. And we’re defending basic biological reality — indeed the very concept of truth itself."

Last year, demonstrators protested Gaines' appearance at a Turning Point USA student chapter event at San Francisco State University. After speaking, she was escorted by law enforcement officers to shelter in a classroom, where she stayed for about three hours while protesters demonstrated. Gaines said she was physically struck twice by a man during the protest.

Last month, SFSU police suspended their investigation into what happened after the event, saying "claims of crimes committed were unfounded," according to the school's student newspaper, Golden Gate Express.

Turning Point USA is a conservative organization founded by media pundit Charlie Kirk.

AC: Engaging in civil discourse

“This is an important issue that should be discussed at colleges and universities throughout the United States,” Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking said in the release. “Adrian College has never shied away from presenting and debating substantive disagreements on campus. In fact, this is precisely the purpose of universities — to engage in civil discourse of controversial issues. We welcome Riley Gaines to our beautiful campus, and we feel confident our students will be inspired by her commencement address.”

Andrea Milner, Adrian College vice president and dean of academic affairs, said the Adrian College community has always been open to discussion on a broad range of topics and she expects people will welcome the opportunity to hear what Gaines has to say.

“We look forward to providing Riley a welcoming atmosphere,” Milner said. “I’m excited to offer our graduates the opportunity to broaden their understanding of world issues and inspire them as they embark on their future endeavors.”

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian College announces Riley Gaines as commencement speaker