Simone Biles attacks Riley Gaines

[ItsCoolForCats]

Simone Biles has come out in defence of males in women's sports, and has attacked Riley Gaines for fighting against it. She said on Twitter:

"@RileyGaines
You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"

So, so disappointing. Both my daughters do gymnastics and are huge SB fans, so it is awful for her to show such contempt towards RG, who is fighting for a level playing field for women and girls in sport. And to suggest a separate category as if nobody has ever thought of that and tried it 🤦🏻‍♀️

No. All she said was that Simone is a famous public figure. Absolutely correct in that. She didn't make any comparison with herself. You did that.

And to never discuss the original incident, or the apology in the public sphere again, even if asked questions about it. Meaning also, that they should not address any malign accusations made against them about the incident.

This is getting close to those testimonies we have seen under oath in the court cases. That women can have any opinion and thought they want, it is a 'free' world. But there is no way a woman can say that they need single sex provisions to remain single sex without being labelled as a bigot.

There is no way a woman can articulate their concerns, they just have to keep them in their mind.

Once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

And still missing the entire point of those sentences too.

That the point is that even with all the well deserved acclaim that Simone Biles' has achieved, she is still trying, unsuccessfully, to appease the extreme transgender activists.

There seems to be a disconnect between what has been said and what some people, including those on twitter, want to frame what she has said. And when you look at the context of that interview snippet and the tweet accepting the apology, the disconnect becomes clearer.

It seems determined now.

I suppose you missed the amount of engagement farming Gaines is making off this, and that is the probable reason she is prolonging the incident out? Gaines isn’t even an athlete any more - she’s a full- time Republican activist. Nothing wrong with that, but she’s getting her money’s worth from this.

Your definition of prolonged is unlikely to be shared by the majority of the population if you think it describes someone doing media about an event the day after it happened.

It's going to be at least another few days before you can give this argument an airing without looking daft.

I think there really is an expectation from some people that women who are campaigning, taking time off for interviews, testimonies to the many state and federal based hearings, should be either paying for it all themselves or relying on donations? That they should pay for all the travel and the accommodation and loss of time at employment themselves or they should just stop campaigning.

Indeed.

I think it is expected that Riley Gaines should either cancel or reject any interview requests for a time period predetermined by those who seek to continue to negatively judge her.

What would be reasonable do you think? You suggest a few days. I think you are being far too generous. I reckon the answer would be closer to 'forever'.

I think we're in a game of Calvinball where the goalposts continually shift so that, no matter what, Riley Gaines is wrong.

I can only assume that, because she votes the same way as 50% of American voters, she can't be allowed to be right, even by some people who agree with her on her campaigning issue.

The Labour Party stans on here seem quiet lately, but they were the same when Rosie Duffield went independent - "I agree with her GC stance, now let me tell you at enormous length all the things I dislike about her". Tribalism is a hell of a drug.

God forbid a woman should earn some money to pay her bills

"God forbid a woman should earn some money to pay her bills"

Indeed! A worthy woman seems to be:

one who chooses to take a large cut in earnings at the start of her career to cover the vital campaign to protect female sports categories.

will pay for all her accrued costs out of her own pocket unless she gets donations, and she cannot actively seek donations or provide any merchandise or content for those donations.

will take abuse and never discuss it publicly lest it might be seen as unkind to the abuser, or capitalising on unasked and unprovoked abuse from public figures, or just merely unkind, likely unwomanly.

will remain silent unless the media or campaign supporters who are perceived as having the exact credentials takes an interest in her campaign.

will always remember that she never gained Olympic medals and she was just a sore loser in 5th place.

will never mention any other issues that she is interested in.

Anything more to add to the list?

Rileys actual words
“I accept Simone's apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She's still the greatest female gymnast of all time."

Jessawoo's parsing of those words

Gaines: I accept her apology and see this as a really big win. (The apology to ME)

I You have this famous public figure (Bigger than myself, not explicitly referring to medals or sporting prowess)

now issuing a groveling public apology and backtracks after tweeting pro-trans propaganda, if you will.” (Grovelling to ME)

There seems to be a disconnect between Rileys actual words and what JessaWoo claims they mean

No, RG did actually say this but on Fox News, not in a tweet

So what?

Does it make her any less right?

now issuing a groveling public apology and backtracks after tweeting pro-trans propaganda, if you will.” (Grovelling to ME)

No, imo she is grovelling to the world in general because she has realised that she has upset virtually everyone with her ill-considered ignorant tweet.

The other words are from this interview

https://x.com/highbrow_nobrow/status/1932839462058213844?s=46

You hypocritically ignore the engagement farming Biles is making off this.

Gaines is a full time WOMENS RIGHTS campaigner. Please get it right.

This could be an accurate interpretation as well.

Having now listened to the interview I still don't agree with Jessawoo's parsing. The point that Riley seemed to be making is that the grovelling apology wouldn't have been made a few years ago but public opinion about men in womens sport has changed and people are no longer afraid of being called transphobic for saying its wrong.

Which is an interesting point wherever one stands on the issue, and has been noticed beyond GC circles. It also wasn't accompanied with a statement that TWAW, which is equally significant.

Exactly. That is the 'big win'.

I think we are seeing some people’s belief that women who disagree should treat those they disagree with gently. I think this is coming from a ‘gentle disagreement’ perspective.

By “some people’s” do you mean mine? Why don’t you simply say what you mean?

It is okay, too, to have another opinion. I know you all like RG as she’s a women’s rights campaigner - and that part is great. But it is also realistic to recognise that other aspects may not be as worthy. It is the same for all of us.

Simone Biles is also the same: fallible.

Biles isn’t continually tweeting and giving interviews, then retweeting those, so no.

Okay, so Gaines is a full-time womens-rights activist. That’s the same thing?

"Why don’t you simply say what you mean?"

Because I have not focused my point on you. I have seen the sentiment expressed by quite a few people recently.

And no one is saying you cannot have an opinion. People are disagreeing with your opinion, seems also to be one that is being expressed on twitter right now, and pointing out the issues with it.

Please don't lie, Gaines made two tweets after and ONE interview that wasn't even to do with it.