This week, former Kentucky Wildcats swimmer Riley Gaines was made aware of a letter sent to the Harvard swim team regarding the participation of Lia Thomas, who is a transgender woman who competes with the Harvard women’s swim team. And it’s safe to say Gaines was not happy about the contents of the letter.
The letter read: “The conversations and controversy surrounding Lia have been challenging to read. In particular, they focus or (sic) what is fair and what is ethical. Regardless of your personal stance, Lia has been incredibly transparent and is abiding by all NCAA rules. That is a fact. Having watched [Schuyler Bailar]’s transition first hand, I can tell you that if it wasn’t for the support of the teams, he may not be here today. Life is more important than politics. While we will never tell you what to do or what to believe, it doesn’t benefit out team from winning a championship if we spend our collective energy getting annoyed or frustrated. Let the NCAA figure out their next steps. Let us focus on our team. And if any press reaches out, then please direct them to our Sports Media Office and ideally, refrain from comment.”
A swimmer from Harvard shared this message that was sent to their entire team surrounding the Lia Thomas controversy. Here is the translation of the message they're communicating…
"Let my divert your attention from inherently feeling like something is wrong, by asking you to… pic.twitter.com/9yrN1ekuNN
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 20, 2023
Upon reading the letter, Gainse offered her own interpretation of what the letter said, mocking it.
Here is Gaines’ interpretation of the letter: “Let my divert your attention from inherently feeling like something is wrong, by asking you to focus on how great Lia has been. Let me emotionally blackmail you into accepting mistreatment because otherwise you are complicit in a potential death. Exchanging your fair treatment for someone else’s benefit (a male in this case) is a justifiable cause. And the fair treatment of women is ‘just politics’ anyway. While we won’t tell you what to do, we’re telling you it is a bad choice to fight this. Let the men in charge at the NCAA decide your fate. Immerse your thoughts and feelings into something else to ignore the obvious injustice you face. Let other people decide if you are worthy of fair competition without your input or voice. Oh, and finally don’t talk.”
It’s safe to say she is not happy with Harvard’s message to its women’s swim team.
