A college student asked female athlete Riley Gaines during a speech Monday night why she was looking at transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ genitalia.
Gaines was speaking at an event at the University of Pittsburgh on efforts to “Save Women’s Sports.” Gaines opposes the participation of biological males who identify as female in women’s and girl’s sports, causing mass protests at the university over her appearance. (RELATED: Female Students Sue Sorority For Admitting Biological Male Who Allegedly Gets Aroused Watching Women Undress)
Gaines has alleged that Thomas’ “male genitalia” was exposed in the women’s locker room, a matter which she discussed during her speech.
“Why were you looking?” Farah Mili, a sophomore psychology major, said to Gaines, interrupting her during the speech, according to Pitt News. The comment was made in reference to Gaines bringing up seeing Thomas’ genitalia in women’s locker rooms.
Female swimmers were advised to “seek counseling” if they were uncomfortable changing in front of Thomas in the locker rooms, Gaines has said.
Democratic state Rep. La’Tasha Mayes called on the president of the university to cancel the event in order to keep LGBT students “safe.” Nearly 200 protesters demonstrated against Gaines’ presence on campus, including one who interrupted her speech twice.
When Dylan Mulvaney comes to UPitt, he gets paid $26,000 from school funding. When Riley Gaines comes to UPitt, she gets protested, threatened with violence, and attempted to get the event canceled by students, faculty, and lawmakers.
Something tells me Im doing something right https://t.co/RWqUx8AxgQ
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 28, 2023
The University of Kentucky former NCAA swimmer competed against Thomas, a biological male, on the women’s team at University of Pennsylvania, tying for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle.
Thomas beat out his female competitors by 1.75 seconds during the NCAA championships in March 2022. Thomas was ranked #462 when he competed on the male team, and quickly ranked #1 in the women’s.
World Athletics voted to exclude biological males from female competitions as of March 31, 2023, citing “fairness and integrity,” as the debate over the place of transgender-identified in sports rages on.