virginia republican party He introduced federal legislation named after the swimmer who achieved national fame when he tied for fifth place.
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Congressman John McGuire on Monday introduced the Riley Gaines Act, a bill that would allow female athletes to sue universities and athletic associations that allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports. He represents Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a largely rural area in south-central Virginia that includes Charlottesville, Danville and Lynchburg.
The proposal is named after Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who gained national attention at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. At that meet, Gaines tied for fifth in the 200-yard freestyle with Leah Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania. Thomas went on to win the 500-yard freestyle, becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.
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For Gaines, the race turned out to have significant consequences, even though it wasn’t the way an elite athlete’s career typically unfolds.
Gaines’ best individual finish at the NCAA Championships was a tie for fifth place. After graduating in 2022, he did not pursue competitive swimming. Rather, this moment became the launching point for national attention based on opposition to transgender women’s participation in athletics.
Since then, Ms. Gaines has testified before statehouses and Congress, appeared on conservative TV shows and become a fixture at political rallies and policy forums focused on society’s limited acceptance of transgender people. What started as a single NCAA race evolved into a lucrative career.
Mr. Gaines, 25, was the highest-paid employee at the conservative nonprofit Leadership Institute in 2024, receiving $474,313 in reportable compensation as director of the organization’s Riley Gaines Center, according to the organization’s IRS Form 990. tax return.
McGuire’s proposed bill would create a new federal cause of action that would allow female athletes to sue organizations that “negligently or recklessly” allow transgender women to compete in women’s athletics. Under the bill, athletes could seek damages not only for physical injuries but also for loss of scholarships and professional opportunities related to their sport.
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“Female athletes have the right to feel safe and protected in the sport they love,” McGuire said in a statement announcing the bill. “Rather, competing against men in women’s sports gives them an unfair advantage, putting them at risk for serious injury and loss of scholarships and career opportunities.”
Increase in peer-reviewed papers the study No consistent evidence has been found that transgender women have an athletic advantage over cisgender women, especially after hormone therapy.
The court would also be required to award attorney’s fees to a successful plaintiff who brings such an action under the law. The bill comes amid a broader federal campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration to exclude gender-diverse people from American life.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups argue that policies targeting transgender athletes are based on exaggerated claims about women’s participation in sports and have been used as part of a broader effort to restrict transgender rights in schools and public life.
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In 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to interpret Title IX to prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports. The order threatened federal funding to schools that did not comply and triggered a series of federal actions aimed at bringing athletic policy into line with its interpretation.
Since then, federal agencies have been pressuring institutions like the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic Committee to revise their policies governing transgender athletes. The administration is also pressuring universities to review records and awards won by transgender athletes.
In July 2025, the University of Pennsylvania agreed to change its swimming record book as part of a federal resolution with the Department of Education. The agreement included stripping Thomas of her honor, restoring titles and records to the cisgender swimmers who competed with her, and a formal apology to the athletes who say they were wronged.
Mr. Gaines became one of the most visible public faces of his wide-ranging campaign. In 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services featured Gaines in a government video promoting a federal webpage that defines gender strictly as male or female and positions transgender participation in sports as a threat to women’s athletics.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
