Riley Gaines is an ambassador at Independent Women’s Voice where she advances our mission of defending women’s single-sex spaces, advocating for equality and fairness, and standing up for women’s safety, privacy and equal opportunities.

Gaines graduated from the University of Kentucky, where she was a 12x All-American swimmer. 

Riley has made waves for speaking out after tying UPenns swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male swimmer on the women’s team, at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. 

After Riley directly experienced competing against a man in women’s sports, she became one of the first female college athletes to speak out against the injustice, challenging the rules of the NCAA, USA Swimming, International Olympic Committee (IOC), and other governing bodies. 

Riley has traveled the country speaking out about the need to protect women’s spaces. She has encouraged other female athletes to come forward and highlight why the issue is blatantly unfair and harmful to females.