Riley Gaines earns women’s history honors on the anniversary of Lia Thomas, responding to ESPN

EXCLUSIVE — OutKick has honored Riley Gaines for her women’s sports advocacy efforts on the same day, just one year later, as ESPN honored transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

“The difference here is that Riley is actually a woman who has, and continues to, put herself in harm’s way to benefit other actual women. Not deprive women of achievements and opportunities,” Gary Schreier, OutKick senior vice president and managing editor, exclusively told the Washington Examiner.

On March 26, 2023, ESPN honored Thomas, the biological male who identifies as a female, as part of a “Celebrating Women’s History Month” segment, noting Thomas’s NCAA championships win in the women’s 500-meter free in 2022 while swimming for the University of Pennsylvania amid criticism.

At the same NCAA championships, Gaines tied Thomas for fifth place in the 200-meter free. She said she “left with no trophy,” noting that it was given to Thomas.  

Gaines has since become an outspoken voice for women’s athletics, seeking to reserve their participation for biological women exclusively. She has additionally slammed the NCAA for failing to protect the integrity of women’s sports. 

“In a world that constantly reinforces men make the best women, I’m so grateful to have received this honor and recognition from OutKick,” Gaines told the Washington Examiner. “It’s in total contrast to who ESPN chose to honor during Women’s History Month last year. OutKick sends a very clear message that women matter!”

Earlier this month, Gaines, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, and several other collegiate athletes sued the NCAA, among other entities.

“It’s official! I’m suing the NCAA along with 15 other collegiate athletes who have lost out on titles, records, & roster spots to men posing as women,” Gaines announced. “The NCAA continues to explicitly violate the federal civil rights law of Title IX. About time someone did something about it.”

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“Her efforts and self-sacrifice for the cause of fairness in female sports has been an inspiration,” OutKick’s Schreier said.

The former University of Kentucky championship swimmer-turned-women’s sports advocate joined OutKick’s lineup in July, beginning her own show, Gaines for Girls.