“‘This is abuse" - Riley Gaines backs SJSU athlete Brooke Slusser as she details distress over transgender teammate Blaire Fleming’s inclusion

Riley Gaines criticized the SJSU after the program's volleyball player, Brooke Slusser, spoke up about the distress caused to her by the inclusion of transgender player Blaire Fleming on the team. Slusser competed alongside Fleming in the 2023 season without being informed that the latter is a transgender player. In an interview with Fox News, she opened up about the impact it had on her mental and physical aspects. She stated that she had been constantly stressed after learning that she had been sharing her room and changing spaces with a transgender teammate. She further highlighted that she suffered from severe anorexia, eating about only 400 calories a day. She lost over 30 pounds and even stopped having her menstrual cycles for nine months. Slusser also highlighted the impact it had on her family and friends, who were stressed for her. After seeing her juggle multiple activities, including attending school, sports, and frequent media interviews, her parents called her back home to recover. As she opened up about her emotional and physical distress, Gaines backed her up. The former collegiate swimmer blamed the program for causing the discomfort and referred to the situation as abuse. "She eventually had to drop out of school and move back home for her safety and health," Gaines wrote. "This is abuse. So why aren’t women like Brooke ever considered when we talk about the “feelings” of those affected by these decisions?" Riley Gaines also showed her support towards Slusser last year when the latter filed a lawsuit, accusing Fleming of plotting harm against her. Riley Gaines shares her opinion on why transgender athletes should be banned from competing alongside womenRiley Gaines has been a strong opponent of the idea of transgender athletes competing against women. In an interview with Fox News, she opined on why it is necessary to protect women's sports, stating that allowing trans athletes to compete against women will affect the next generation of female athletes. “Title IX was written to protect women based on biological sex - not self-identified gender. To lose that foundational truth is to lose the heart of the law itself. Growth in sports is about more than medals - it’s about pushing ourselves mentally and physically, developing character, working hard, failing with grace, and winning with integrity.""Sports are the training ground for life. If we allow Title IX to be redefined, we risk losing not just championships - but the next generation of women leaders."Riley Gaines also took a jab at Pablo Torre for accusing her of making money out of advocacy.