What started as a disagreement over transgender inclusion in sports has now snowballed into a fierce online feud between Olympic legend Simone Biles and former collegiate swimmer turned conservative commentator Riley Gaines.
Over the past few days, the tension between these two high-profile women has only escalated—with viral posts, old tweets resurfacing, and some sharp, personal exchanges.
Riley Gaines Digs Deep into Simone Biles’ Past
Riley Gaines, 25, is not backing down. After Simone Biles slammed her for criticizing a high school softball team in Minnesota that included a transgender player, Gaines went on the offensive.
She unearthed an old tweet from Biles dating back to 2017 that, in Gaines’ eyes, contradicts Biles’ current views.
The post read:
“ahhhh good thing guys don’t compete against girls or he’d take all the gold medals !!”
To that, Gaines clapped back:
“Oop don’t you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?”
She then doubled down by asking how 2025 Simone could reconcile such a statement with her present-day activism.
The Spark That Lit the Fire
All of this erupted after Gaines retweeted a photo of the Champlin Park softball team celebrating a state championship win—with transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger on the roster. Her caption read:
“Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
That’s when Simone Biles, 28, stepped in with a scathing response.
She accused Gaines of being a “sore loser” and suggested that instead of attacking trans athletes, she should be using her platform to find ways to include them.
Biles didn’t hold back, even going as far as comparing Gaines’ appearance to a man.
From Personal Jabs to Serious Accusations
The exchange quickly got personal. Biles tweeted:
“Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
And in response, Gaines didn’t hesitate to push back:
“It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces.”
She added that if Biles wanted to support transgender inclusion in women’s sports, she could use her platform—but Gaines would continue to speak against it without apology.
Touching a Nerve with Gymnastics History
Things took an even darker turn when Gaines brought up Simone Biles’ past trauma involving former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
Gaines criticized Biles for allegedly supporting the presence of biological males in female spaces, referencing the horrific abuse Biles and other gymnasts endured under Nassar.
She tweeted:
“All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man’s feelings.”
Gaines went further by posting a side-by-side comparison of Biles’ testimony about Nassar and her recent comments supporting transgender athletes.
The implication was clear—Gaines believes Biles is being hypocritical.
A Look Back at Simone Biles’ Painful Past
Simone Biles publicly came forward in 2018 as a survivor of Nassar’s abuse.
At the time, she shared how the trauma had driven her to dark places, including thoughts of suicide.
In 2019, she continued to speak about the emotional toll the abuse had taken, becoming a powerful voice for justice and survivor advocacy.
Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison between 2017 and 2018 for possession of child sex abuse material and for molesting hundreds of young female athletes.
Biles was one of the most prominent figures to testify before Congress about the systemic failures that allowed his abuse to continue for so long.
The Trans Athlete at the Center of It All
At the heart of this storm is Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender high school pitcher from Minnesota.
Rothenberger, who was assigned male at birth, had her name and gender legally changed in court after her ninth birthday.
She was reissued a birth certificate identifying her as female and now plays on a girls’ softball team.
It was her role in helping Champlin Park win the state title that reignited the national debate and prompted Gaines’ initial criticism.
A Culture War That Shows No Signs of Slowing
While Simone Biles hasn’t responded beyond retweeting her original post, the clash between these two women represents a deeper cultural divide in America—between inclusion and tradition, advocacy and opposition.
Riley Gaines continues to champion what she calls “fairness” in women’s sports.
Simone Biles, on the other hand, is pushing for empathy, inclusion, and a rethinking of what equality means on the field and beyond.
What’s clear is that this feud isn’t just about two athletes trading barbs online—it’s become a flashpoint in a much larger national conversation about identity, rights, and the future of competitive sports.