BILES VS. GAINES TRANS APOLOGY

BY SNN.BZ STAFF

Simone Biles did engage in a public dispute with Riley Gaines on June 6, 2025, where she posted on X, calling Gaines a “sore loser” and suggesting she “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”

This comment, interpreted by some as body-shaming due to its reference to Gaines’ physical size, sparked significant backlash on social media. The feud began when Gaines criticized a Minnesota high school softball team’s state championship win, led by a transgender pitcher, prompting Biles to defend transgender athletes and accuse Gaines of bullying.

The backlash against Biles was intense, with fans and commentators, including Gaines, criticizing her for the personal attack and highlighting a 2017 tweet from Biles that appeared to contradict her stance, stating, “good thing guys don’t compete against girls or he’d take all the gold medals.”

Critics, including Gaines, argued that Biles’ comments undermined fairness in women’s sports and accused her of hypocrisy. The controversy trended heavily on X and TikTok, with some calling for Biles to be dropped by her sponsor, Athleta, for allegedly denigrating women.

On June 10, 2025, Biles issued an apology on X, stating: “The current system doesn’t adequately balance [competitive equity & inclusivity], which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.” She emphasized that individual athletes, especially minors, should not be targeted and called for sports organizations to create rules balancing inclusion and fairness. Gaines accepted the apology, writing,

“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.”While Biles retracted her personal attack and apologized, she did not fully withdraw her broader stance on inclusivity but clarified her objection to singling out young athletes. The apology was met with mixed responses: some praised her humility, while others questioned if it was driven by public pressure.