Riley Gaines Calls Trans Athlete a ‘Boy’—Simone Biles Fires Back Instantly

Things are heating up online, and this time, Olympic gymnastics icon Simone Biles is at the center of the drama. Over the weekend, Biles took to X (formerly Twitter) to clap back at former NCAA swimmer and political commentator Riley Gaines, after Gaines made a controversial comment about a trans athlete.

It all started when Gaines reposted a photo of Champlin Park High School’s softball team, which had just won a Minnesota state title. One of the players, Marissa Rothenberger, is a transgender girl — and Gaines wasn’t having it. She tweeted, “To be expected when your star player is a boy.” That one sentence lit a fire under Biles.

Biles didn’t just disagree — she went all in. “You’re truly sick,” she tweeted at Gaines. “All of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser.” She called on Gaines to stop bullying trans athletes and instead suggested building inclusive sports options, like separate categories for trans athletes across all sports.

Then came the savage mic drop: “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.” Ouch.

Gaines fired back fast. She said Biles’ stance was disappointing and that women shouldn’t be expected to make room for “men” in their sports. She called Simone a “male-apologist” and took a jab at her gymnastics career by saying maybe Biles should try competing in the men’s pommel horse.

Marissa Rothenberger is at the center of the Simone Biles and Riley Gaines feud

The drama didn’t end there. Former ESPN host Sage Steele jumped in to support Gaines, accusing Biles of turning on fellow women. “You only had to compete against fellow women,” she wrote, calling Gaines a hero for standing up for girls in sports.

But Simone wasn’t done either. She shut down a Trump supporter who tried to argue that men are just biologically stronger, especially in gymnastics. Her response? “Can you even read?”

The athlete at the center of the firestorm, Marissa Rothenberger, transitioned as a child and legally changed her birth certificate. Now, as a trans girl playing softball, she’s both celebrated by her team and targeted by online critics.

Simone’s original tweet calling Gaines “sick” is still live. No apologies. No backing down.