Swimmer Riley Gaines blasted San Francisco State University for praising a “peaceful” protest where she alleges she was attacked by trans-activists after urging that transgender athletes be kept out of women’s sports.
Gaines, 23, threatened legal action against the school for its alleged failure to help her after droves of trans-rights protesters pushed back at Gaines’ controversial Thursday speech.
Video of the chaos shows dozens of protesters berating the former NCAA swimmer and 12-time All-American champ following the speech.
Gaines claims she was punched twice by a transgender woman and was forced to barricade for hours in a classroom.
Following the mayhem, Jamillah Moore, vice president for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, emailed students thanking them for taking part in the event.
“It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space,” Moore wrote. “I am proud of the moments where we listened and asked insightful questions.”
“I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully,” she added.
After the statement was tweeted out, Gaines thundered: “I’m sorry did this just say PEACEFUL…. I was assaulted. I was extorted and held for random [sic].
“The protestors demanded I pay them if I wanted to make it home safely. I missed my flight home because I was barricaded in a classroom… We must have different definitions of peaceful.”
In the school’s notice about the incident, Moore offered Gaines no apology — and instead focused on the students’ commitment to standing with the trans community and diversity.
“I have no problem with ‘peaceful’ protest.’ I actually welcome it. I was grateful to see a diverse crowd in the room during my speech which I expressed multiple times,” Gaines wrote. “We had great dialogue and listened to each other. But that ambush was the opposite of peaceful.”
