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Riley Gaines Attends Signing Ceremony For New Law Bearing Her Name: ‘There’s No Bigger Honor’

Swimmer Riley Gaines has become a household name in recent years due to her advocacy on behalf of female athletes.

After she was compelled to compete against a biological male who claimed to be transgender, Gaines launched a campaign that has included numerous media appearances and other efforts to protect girls and women in sports.

Her push has gained traction nationwide, including in West Virginia, where GOP Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a bill named after her into law.

As OutKick reported:

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“There’s no bigger honor than having your name attached to something as foundational and significant as the defense of women’s rights and biological reality,” Gaines said.

“The Riley Gaines Act merely defines sex-based terms like man and woman in state statute to prevent unelected bureaucrats from reinterpreting these words to mean what they want them to mean. The majority of American people know what a woman is, and it’s time our laws do too.”

Despite the victory for women in West Virginia, Gaines noted that the fight against males invading females is far from over.

“Contrary to what some may think, given President Trump is back in the White House, the war on woke has not been won yet. There’s more work to be done, but leaders like President Trump and Governor Morrisey have paved the way,” Gaines said.

West Virginia gained attention when several middle school girls “stepped out” during a track meet last year to protest a biological male competing in girls’ shotput and discus.

The new state law has attracted significant attention on social media:

As a gubernatorial candidate nearly a year ago, Morrisey welcomed Gaines to the state for a related event:

Fox News also covered this week’s signing ceremony:

Morrisey said Wednesday he was inspired by the story of 14-year-old shot-put athlete Emmy Salerno from Shinnston, outside Clarksburg.

Salerno and her teammates refused to participate in the 2023 Harrison County middle school championship event as a protest against being primed to compete against a transgender student athlete.

Morrisey, then attorney general, threw his support behind a lawsuit over the situation.

“This is an incredible day for West Virginia,” Morrisey said Wednesday, noting that Gaines, along with Independent Women’s Forum president Heather Higgins, stood beside him.

He went on to credit House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay; state Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Charles Town; and Del. Kathie Hess Crouse, R-Buffalo, as crucial in getting the law passed: “I worked on this issue for a very long time, and even right now we have multiple cases up at the U.S. Supreme Court,” Morrisey said, adding that in the end, the true heroes of the movement are the athletes themselves, like Gaines and Salerno.

Here’s what the governor had to say about the bill in a speech last month:


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