A male gymnast has leapt to Simone Biles’s defense amid the USA Olympic hero’s bitter trans feud with Riley Gaines.
Gaines, 25, came to virtual blows with Biles, 28, over the weekend after the gymnast launched a scathing attack on the conservative activist.
Biles sparked the war of words Friday night when she compared Gaines to a man after the former swimmer criticized a Minnesota high school softball team for competing with a trans player.
The eleven-time US Olympic medalist’s post triggered furious backlash from Gaines, who issued a series of stinging rebukes.
But Sam Phillips, an openly gay gymnast at the University of Illinois, clapped back at the political commentator, claiming her argument is ‘null and void.’
‘This whole fight between Riley and Simone is NULL & VOID because the basis of the right’s attack is that she would lose medals in the men’s gym category when in reality, she would actually STEAL GOLDS from LOTS of the best Male floor and vault workers. So their base is FLAWED,’ the 23-year-old wrote in a post on X.
Simone Biles and Riley Gaines have been caught in a war of words over transgender athletes
Sam Phillips, an openly gay gymnast at the University of Illinois, clapped back at Gaines
‘And yes….also Null and Void because Riley G.B. is in fact an evil spirited, loser mentality, unreliable, misinformed, hateful person.’
Phillips, a two-time All-American, doubled down in his support of Biles, insisting gymnastics icon could hold her own against male competitors.
‘Floor and vault!! Most definitely,’ Phillips told Outsports. ‘And honestly with her body type, if she was introduced to rings at a young age, maybe even rings!!! We don’t know the possibilities of what women in all sports fields can accomplish if we limit them from the start!!’
‘I had to mute the comments because the right-terf horde was going in with baseless accusations, claims and arguments. They are impossible to debate when you know they don’t know the facts or context of trans people in sports or gymnastics. They only know what’s been fed to them,’ he added.
‘I thank Simone for standing up for those who don’t have many people fighting for them. I think this was a huge win for the athletic community who truly knows that sports is about unity and competing under common purposes. If there’s no space, like Simone said, we will figure it out and make it. But name-calling and outing like [Gaines] did does nothing but spread toxicity and hate. And THAT has NO PLACE in sports!!’
Gaines infamously tied for fifth with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships.
She has since forged a career as a political commentator for OutKick and Fox following her time under the NCAA banner . Her campaigning has won praise from Donald Trump, who welcomed her to the White House before signing the ‘Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports’ executive order in February.
Biles’s initial harsh jab at Gaines sparked the war of words with the gymnast posting: ‘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!!’
The two-time All-American backed Biles, claiming she could compete against male gymnasts
23-year-old Phillips slammed Gaines’ argument, claiming it was ‘null and void’
The USA Olympic hero tore into Riley Gaines on social media for her stance on trans athletes
‘But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!’
She then tweeted at Gaines again, saying: ‘Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.’
Gaines later responded by referencing the horrific sexual abuse Biles and other gymnasts suffered at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.
‘All the horrific sexual abuse @Simmone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man’s feelings,’ Gaines wrote. ‘You know how many gold medals you’d have if your ‘inclusive’ dream came true? Zero.’
Biles has yet to make any further comments or to respond to Gaines brutal retorts, staying silent in the aftermath.
However, that hasn’t prevent other figures from wading into the melee. Motorsports legend Danica Patrick sided with Gaines, saying had been ‘red pilled’ in reference to being fed the wrong information.
Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith claimed Gaines had gone too far with her shocking reference to Nassar.
‘That’s going a bit too far. Talking about transgender women competing in sports is one issue. Using a guy like Larry Nassar, one of the most despicable human beings we’ve ever witnessed on this earth… to go that low – Gaines, you lost all credibility.
Gaines has consistently campaigned against trans athletes competing in women’s sports
Gaines shakes Donald Trump’s hand on the day he signed an executive order on trans athletes
Smith continued by calling her remarks ‘cruel’ – before admitting that her broader position ‘should give us all cause to pause.
‘The reality is that it is a disservice to women in a lot of people’s eyes, that men transitioning to women get to compete in women’s sports,’ Smith said, before referencing the dominance of Gaines’ ex-college rival Lia Thomas.
‘What Riley Gaines is talking about does seem a bit unfair, she has a right to express those thoughts without Simone Biles coming at her that way,’ Smith said.
He also added that there are ‘an abundance of women who have a right to feel the way to feel how Riley Gaines feels.’
Nassar was a leading doctor at Michigan State and with USA Gymnastics, but used his position within those organizations to sexually abuse young women, including Biles, under the guise of treatment at the now-closed Karolyi Ranch National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.
