When Simone Biles claps back, it hits with the force of a floor routine finale. And this time, the most decorated gymnast in history wasn’t flipping for sport. She was flipping the script on Riley Gaines. Gaines recently launched yet another tirade about transgender athletes. This time attacking a high school softball player. Soon, Biles stepped in. And what started as a bold reply turned into a full-throttle takedown. But it didn’t end there. Gaines, in a shocking move, tried to throw Biles’ own trauma into the fire. What followed was a public reckoning that lit up social media.
It all began with Gaines mocking a transgender athlete’s win at the Minnesota Girls’ State Softball Championship. Gaines also dragged the state’s governor into the mix. The post was classic Gaines. Inflammatory and targeted. But this time, she got an answer from none other than Simone Biles. “Bully someone your own size,” Biles shot back, adding the ironic twist, “which would ironically be a male.” It was cutting, bold, and the internet noticed.
Simone Biles slams Gaines for dragging her abuse story into anti-trans rhetoric
Still, Biles didn’t stop at a single retort. She went for the jugular in a follow-up post that directly called out Gaines’ crusade against trans athletes. “You’re truly sick,” Biles wrote, accusing her of being a “sore loser”. Biles also accused her for being obsessed with a loss that fueled her anti-trans crusade. The Olympian urged her to use her platform for good. Maybe even push for a dedicated transgender category in sports. Instead of tearing people down. “One thing’s for sure,” she warned. “No one in sports is safe with you around.”
Simone Biles when she had to endure a predatory man
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 7, 2025
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Simone Biles when other girls have to endure predatory men pic.twitter.com/8p9D51seYr
That’s when Gaines crossed a line many felt was beyond low. She responded not with reason but with cruelty. Posting a clip of Biles’ emotional congressional testimony about surviving sexual abuse under USA Gymnastics’ watch. In the same breath, she accused Biles of supporting “naked exposure to men” under the guise of inclusion. It was a grotesque attempt to twist Biles’ deepest pain into a punchline for her own agenda.
The internet recoiled. The backlash was swift, with many calling Gaines’ move disgusting and manipulative. Instead of discrediting Biles, the stunt only magnified the champion’s strength. Not just in sport, but in standing up to bullies who try to hijack pain for politics.
