Following an online spat between gymnastics legend Simone Biles and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines sparked heated debate, the controversy appears to be evolving far beyond social media.
Gaines has returned to the conversation, now tying her earlier dispute with Biles to a developing legal battle in Oregon involving two high school girls who are challenging transgender participation in girls’ sports.
At the heart of this latest twist is a lawsuit filed by Oregon track athletes Maddie Eischen and Sophia Carpenter. The students, both female runners, say they were forced to compete against a transgender athlete at the Chehalem Classic track meet in April, an experience that led them to walk off the field in protest.
Now, they’ve taken their concerns to court, challenging Oregon’s inclusive athletics policy that allows athletes to compete based on their gender identity.
But according to Gaines, who has positioned herself as a vocal advocate for women’s sports, the girls’ decision to sue was not made in a vacuum. Instead, she claims the lawsuit was influenced by the backlash to Biles‘ recent comments aimed at her.
“Simone Biles‘ disparaging comments towards female athletes totally backfired,” Gaines wrote on X. “She inadvertently inspired two high school girls in Oregon to sue the state after being forced to compete against a boy at their state championship meet. Poetic.”
Viral feud spills into real-world legal fight
The online drama originally began when Gaines weighed in on a game involving a Minnesota girls’ softball team, which featured a transgender pitcher. Her remarks sparked backlash, including a blunt retort from Biles: “bully someone your own size.” The response quickly gained traction on social media, drawing attention from athletes, pundits, and advocacy groups on both sides of the debate.
According to Eischen and Carpenter, that clash between two high-profile figures opened their eyes to the national implications of their experience. Gaines had reportedly contacted them soon after the April meet, but the media frenzy around her back-and-forth with Biles served as a tipping point. The girls stated that it clarified the broader stakes and emboldened them to take legal action.
The Oregon lawsuit challenges current regulations that allow transgender girls to compete alongside cisgender girls in high school athletics.
The plaintiffs argue this framework undermines the fairness and integrity of female competition and violates their rights under federal law, particularly Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
The lawsuit could emerge as a pivotal test case in the larger national debate, joining similar legal efforts around the country aimed at limiting transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports.
Critics of such efforts argue they stigmatize and marginalize transgender youth, while proponents, like Gaines, insist they’re about protecting the rights and opportunities of cisgender girls.
