Greenville, S.C. — All-American college swimmer Riley Gaines, who has become an outspoken opponent of biological men being allowed to compete in women’s athletics, praised Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Friday as a leader “who knows how do to the right thing.”
Gaines endorsed the Florida governor for president on Thursday and introduced him at a Friday night rally in Greenville, in the deep-red upstate region of South Carolina.
Florida and South Carolina have both passed laws banning transgender women — biological men — from competing in women’s sports. South Carolina passed its law last month.
Gaines said DeSantis “has tackled these issues, he has drawn the line, and he has said ‘No more.’”
DeSantis, in turn, praised Gaines as “remarkable young woman” who has her “head on straight” and has a “great set of values that guide her life.” As the father of three young children, including two young daughters, DeSantis said the issue is personal to him.
“Girls and women athletes deserve to have the right to compete with integrity and with fairness,” DeSantis said. “The competition shouldn’t be corrupted by political ideology. And it’s not fair to rob them of opportunities.”
DeSantis played college baseball. His wife Casey competed on the equestrian team at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
Gaines, a University of Kentucky swimmer, has been outspoken on the issue of protecting women’s sports since she competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the NCAA women’s finals. She tied Thomas for fifth in the 200-meter NCAA women’s championships last year, but Thomas got the trophy.
DeSantis said that crowning a biological male who competed for three years on the men’s team as a women’s champion is wrong. “They’re asking us to be complicit in a lie. And that I refuse to do,” he said.
In April, Gaines was assaulted by trans activists after delivering a speech at San Francisco State University, and was barricaded in a room for three hours for her safety. She addressed that during her short speech on Friday, and she told the DeSantis crowd of about 1,000 that she appreciated being around people who are supportive of her mission.
“I realize what a blessing it is to be in a room full of people who are happy you are there,” she said.
The Greenville rally was one of three campaign stops DeSantis made South Carolina on Friday. He launched his campaign virtually last week, and campaigned earlier this week in Iowa and New Hamphire.