Riley Gaines to deliver commencement speech at Christian college to ‘broaden understanding’

March 15, 2024

A college in Michigan is defending its decision to have former NCAA competitive swimmer Riley Gaines as its commencement speaker in May. The Christian Post reports that Gaines has been an outspoken critic of allowing men to compete in women’s sports.

Gaines, while attending the University of Kentucky, was forced to compete in the 2022 NCAA championship against Will Thomas who identifies as a woman and goes by the name Lia Thomas.

Adrian College is a private school associated with the Methodist Church. Gaines was invited to deliver the commencement address there on May 5.

The decision to have Gaines as a speaker is drawing criticism and online pushback from individuals who see her views on men in women’s sports as controversial.

Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking stated: “Adrian College has never shied away from presenting and debating substantive disagreements on campus. In fact, this is precisely the purpose of universities — to engage in civil discourse of controversial issues. We welcome Riley Gaines to our beautiful campus, and we feel confident our students will be inspired by her commencement address.”

Riley has testified before the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee about the Biden administration’s proposed rule changes in Title IX. She cited studies that men maintain a biological advantage over women, even after taking feminizing hormones.

Photo: top, Credit: CSPAN 2