Former college swimming champion Riley Gaines is challenging soon-to-be former U.S. Women’s Soccer star Megan Rapinoe to a debate after the pro soccer player proclaimed that “trans women are women” and said she’d welcome men claiming to be women on the U.S. Women’s National Team roster.
Rapinoe recently told Time magazine that she thinks men who claim to be women are “real women” and blasted critics who oppose transgenders playing as women in women’s sports. She also argued that critics are “transphobic” for opposing men invading women’s sports.
The USWNT captain insisted that men are not taking the place of “real women” in sports because transgender women are “real women” already.
Rapinoe said that the argument that, “‘You’re taking a ‘real’ woman’s place,’” is an illegitimate argument to make. She added, “that’s the part of the argument that’s still extremely transphobic. I see trans women as real women. What you’re saying automatically in the argument — you’re sort of telling on yourself already — is you don’t believe these people are women. Therefore, they’re taking the other spot. I don’t feel that way.”
The soccer player also blasted people who oppose transgenders in sports, including tennis great Martina Navratilova and ESPN commentator Sage Steele, calling them all transphobic.
“I don’t want to mince words about it,” Rapinoe told Time. “When Martina or Sage or whoever are talking about this, people aren’t hearing it just in the context of elite sports. They’re saying, ‘The rest of my life, this is how I’m going to treat trans people.'”
On the other hand, even though Rapinoe is suggesting that men can play on the women’s national team, Rapinoe also just announced her retirement — set to begin at the end of this soccer season — and will never be faced with playing with or against men claiming to be women.
So, while her career will never be impacted by men playing on her team, Rapino is advocating for just that fate to befall future women players.
Rapinoe’s stance has raised opposition, of course. Tennis great Navratilova, for instance, blasted the soccer player after the soccer star made her comments.
Navratilova struck back at Rapinoe’s attack, first tweeting “yikes.”
Yikes… https://t.co/lfKs34dSN5
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) July 10, 2023
Then, the next day, wrote, “Hmmm. Really Megan?”
Hmmm . Really Megan? https://t.co/DxzQGvkPd8
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) July 11, 2023
The national anthem protester, LGBT activist, stark anti-American, equal pay pusher, and anti-Trumper is going out with a whimper, but Riley Gaines is ready to give Rapinoe just a bit more publicity before she fades off into deserved obscurity, Outkick reported.
“Had Megan Rapinoe been asked [about biological men playing on the USWNT] … while trying to advance to the height of her career, she would not have the same opinions because a man could easily take her place. Easily,” Gained said.
Gaines went on to issue an official challenge.
“Consider this an official invite,” Gaines added. “Megan Rapinoe, I would love it if you joined the new ‘Gaines for Girls’ podcast where we could have an open dialogue about the issue of men competing in women’s sports.” (“Gaines for Girls” is the former swimmr’s new podcast in partnership with OutKick.)
Gaines made her challenge on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” on Monday.
Unlike Rapinoe, Gaines knows all too well what it is like to be forced to compete against a bigger, more powerful male who claims to be a woman. After all, Gaines faced transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who tore through college swimming, winning titles after supposedly “transitioning” to a woman during the NCAA 2021-22 swimming season.
While it isn’t likely that Rapinoe will be brave enough to face Gaines in a debate on the topic of transgenders in sports, if Rapinoe had the courage of her convictions, it would be the perfect opportunity to prove her point.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
