The Vibe Has Shifted on the Trans Sports Debate, but the Reality Has Not

Simone Biles, Riley Gaines and why this topic keeps going

Recently, gymnastics star Simone Biles engaged in the sort of Twitter dunk that, a few years ago, would have seemingly only boosted her status. Instead, on Tuesday, she felt compelled to walk back her words.

Last week on Twitter/X, Biles inveighed in defense of the trans sports cause, specifically going after conservative activist Riley Gaines. Since Gaines has a muscular frame, or she at least did when she was swimming against Lia Thomas, Biles took a shot at Riley’s body:

bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male

Biles followed up with:

You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!

In a different time, Biles would likely have seen little visible backlash to her words. In a different time, someone like Riley Gaines wouldn’t even be allowed on Twitter. The prominent responses to such a Biles’ excoriation of a right wing activist would be cheerleading for the gymnast and scorn for the target. Instead, on this version of Twitter, you see a lot of high follower accounts dumping all over the Biles tweets. And sometimes, it’s just this simple. The celebrity will apologize if the medium they use is shouting at them. Change what the medium shouts at, and change what the celebrity will proudly say.

Biles was reacting to Gaines criticizing a high school Minnesota AAAA softball team that had won a state championship with a male player. Gaines tweeted:

Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy

I want to focus on this part, specifically, because it cuts to the core of the conflict, in a way.