Riley Gaines Calls Out WNBA’s Brittney Griner for Her ‘Heartbreaking’ Opposition to Trans Sports Bans
Hannah Schoenbaum/AP
WNBA star Brittney Griner has drawn the ire of former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines for stating she’s against banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
In Griner’s first press conference with the Phoenix Mercury since being freed from a Russian penal colony, she made it clear that she’ll never play basketball overseas again unless it’s during the Olympics. She was also asked about proposed trans sports bans in the US and called the idea “a crime.”
“I think it’s a crime, honestly, to separate someone for any reason,” Griner said. “So I definitely will be speaking against that legislation and those laws that are trying to be passed, for sure.”
Brittney Griner on the exclusion of Transgender men in women’s sports:
“I think it’s a crime, honestly to separate someone for any reason.” pic.twitter.com/i7uTsNZSqt
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 28, 2023
Naturally, these comments were brought to the attention of Gaines, who’s been an advocate for the bans since competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship.
“Which NBA team would have (Brittney Griner) since apparently the overwhelming, obvious differences between men and women should simply be overlooked?” Gaines said on Twitter. “Heartbreaking to see athletically successful women take this demeaning stance.
“And if we’re going to talk about crimes, Brittney…”
Which NBA team would have @brittneygriner since apparently the overwhelming, obvious differences between men and women should simply be overlooked? Heartbreaking to see athletically successful women take this demeaning stance.
And if we’re going to talk about crimes, Brittney… https://t.co/cZpWYQShRI
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 30, 2023
Gaines is no stranger to calling out prominent female athletes on the subject. She also took aim at women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe for opposing the bans.
