5th-Place Gaines Claims She Was “Hit By a Man” After Unpopular Speech
Swimmer Riley Gaines drew intense protests, but very little support, during a speech at San Franscisco State University. The swimmer alleges she was assaulted as she attemped to exit.
by Evan Urquhart
(stock image, not from Gaines’ speech)
Former college athlete Riley Gaines, who has parlayed a fifth* place tie with Lia Thomas at a college swim meet into a career in anti-trans activism, claims to have been assaulted after a speech at San Franscisco State University yesterday. Fox News, which has featured Gaines numerous times, had the story.
screenshot from Fox News
Gaines reportedly had to be escorted by police to a second room after protests outside the speech became increasingly intense. It was during that escort that Gaines claims to have been assaulted. She further claims to have waited in the second room for 3 hours, until the situation calmed down enough for her to safely leave.
Regardless of the gender or birth-assigned sex of the assailant, assuming there was an assailant, Assigned Media wants to be clear that we do not condone violence. No one should ever hit Riley Gaines. Don’t hit Riley Gaines, people! C’mon, now!
Gaines’ agent gave a statement to Fox News in which he blamed the protests and alleged assault on trans women, stating, "Instead of a thoughtful discussion tonight at SFSU, Riley was violently accosted, shouted at, physically assaulted, and barricaded in a room by protestors. It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights.”
Footage of the event, shared to Twitter by the SFSU student newspaper, does not seem to back up this account. While it is impossible to be certain of either sex or gender identity from video footage, the majority of the protesters seem unlikely to have been assigned male at birth.
Characterizing trans activists as predominantly transfeminine is a common tactic by the far right, whose propaganda rests on the idea that neither transmasculine people nor cis women who support trans rights really exist, despite these groups commonly forming the majority of participants at trans rights’ protests.
CORRECTION NOTE: After publication it was brought to our attention that Riley Gaines tied Lia Thomas for fifth place in the 200m freestyle at the 2022 NCAA women’s championship. We initially wrote it was fourth place. Assigned regrets the error.