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Danica Patrick, a 43-year-old former IndyCar and NASCAR driver, responded Sunday, June 8, to gymnast Simone Biles, who stood up for a trans high school pitcher who helped lead their team to a championship in the Minnesota state softball finals.
"Defending men in women’s sports is the woke mind virus and/or another issue that requires therapy. Either way, it is so irrational,” Patrick posted to Instagram on Sunday, June 8.
Biles clashed with former NCAA swimmer turned right-wing commentator Riley Gaines, who criticized the Minnesota State High School League for allowing the student to compete.
Patrick, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, thanked Gaines for her activism.
“This issue has a shelf life," she said. "I truly believe common sense will prevail. But until then, I am grateful for people like Riley Gaines who are making sure no one gets away with it — not to mention the fact that she actually lived it.”
Biles was less charitable in her response to Gaines. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist called her “truly sick” and a “straight-up sore loser” in a viral post on X.
Biles argued that Gaines should use her platform to advocate for trans athletes' inclusion in sports.
Gaines, 25, a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky, maintains that it is unfair to allow trans women to compete against cisgender women.
“It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces,” she responded to Biles. “You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest.”
Gaines rose to prominence following the 2022 NCAA Championships, where she tied for fifth place in the 200-meter freestyle with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania.
She argues that trans women have an unfair biological advantage, citing higher testosterone levels and larger muscles, which she believes has lead to trans athletes "stealing" titles from cisgender women.
Former President Trump made the ban on trans women in female sports a central issue in his campaign and signed an executive order banning the practice shortly after taking office.
An NBC News poll in April found that 75 percent of Americans oppose trans women competing against cisgender women.
The NCAA subsequently updated its policy, stating that only athletes assigned female at birth may compete in women’s sports. Trans athletes may still practice with women's teams but are barred from competition.
Trans men, however, are allowed to compete in some sports categories.
Although this topic has become a culture-war flashpoint, data shows the scope of the issue is minimal. Of the approximately 500,000 student-athletes competing in NCAA sports, only about 10 identify as transgender, which equates to 0.00002 percent.
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