Former swimmer Riley Gaines is threatening legal action against San Francisco State University after transgender activists allegedly assaulted her at the school following her speech on Thursday.
Gaines, who swam for the University of Kentucky and advocates against trans athletes participating in women's sports, said she intends to sue the school for its inaction after a protester allegedly punched Gaines twice and she was forced to take refuge in a classroom, the New York Post reported.
"The campus police did nothing. The dean of students was there and did nothing," Gaines said. "There will be no repercussions unless I have something to do with it."
Gaines also slammed an administrator at San Francisco State who praised the protest in a university statement while leaving the alleged assault unmentioned.
"I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully," vice president for student affairs Jamillah Moore said in an email to students. "It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space."
"I'm sorry did this just say PEACEFUL.... I was assaulted," Gaines said in response to Moore's statement. "I was extorted and held for random. The protestors demanded I pay them if I wanted to make it home safely. I missed my flight home because I was barricaded in a classroom. We must have different definitions of peaceful."
Gaiens has spoken out on maintaining the integrity of women’s sports after competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
The Biden administration announced new proposed rules Thursday prohibiting schools from issuing blanket bans on transgender participation in sports. Schools would have to demonstrate that a decision to ban a transgender athlete "minimizes harm to others."
Students at elite universities are increasingly pushing for trigger warnings and the suppression of unwanted speech. Last week, Cornell University rejected a request from its student government to issue trigger warnings for potentially uncomfortable topics in the classroom.
Students asked for the ability to "opt out" of triggering discussions such as "transphobic violence" and "homophobic harassment."