DENTON — Gov. Greg Abbott was in Denton on Monday to ceremoniously sign the “Save Women’s Sports” Act, which prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports at Texas colleges and universities.
Abbott was joined by two advisors from Independent Women’s Voice (IWV), Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer, and Paula Scanlan, a former NCAA swimmer, during the signing.
Gaines swam at the University of Kentucky from 2018 to 2022 and was the champion in the women’s 500-meter freestyle, per Swimming World Magazine.
In her senior year, Gaines competed in the 200-meter freestyle against The University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who previously competed on the men’s swim team.
The two tied for fifth in the race, but only Thomas was allowed onto the podium with the trophy until Gaines argued with NCAA officials, per The Daily Wire.
When asked why she was not initially allowed onto the podium, Gaines reportedly said the NCAA wanted to promote diversity.
Gaines claimed that one official told her, “I just want you to know that we respect you and admire your swim so much, but we just want Lia to hold the fifth place trophy,” per The Daily Wire.
Since then, she has been advocating to restrict women’s sports to only biological females.
“I waited and waited for someone to stick up for us. I thought surely a coach would do it, or a parent would do it, someone’s dad, someone who was supposed to be protecting us,” said Gaines to The Dallas Express.
“I just had this realization that it’s not fair for us to expect that when we aren’t even willing to stick up for ourselves.”
Scanlan also has firsthand experience with Thomas, as the two were teammates at UPenn once Thomas began competing on the women’s swim team.
While speaking at the event, Scanlan said the team changed clothes in the locker room “18 times per week.”
As a result, Scanlan said many of her teammates chose to change in the family locker rooms or bathroom. Now, Scanlan advocates for women’s rights as an advisor to the IWV.
“I waited a full year after graduating to even speak out about it, but I felt that someone else would fix it and that maybe the problems happening on my team were an isolated event,” said Scanlan to The Dallas Express.
“I noticed this is happening in a bunch of sports and if I wasn’t willing to use my voice to voice my concerns then why even have an opinion at all.”
SB 15, sponsored by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) and Rep. Valoree Swanson (R-Spring), now bans biological males from competing in women’s sports at the collegiate level.
Despite being signed into law on June 15, not every elected official agreed with the decision.
“I moved to strike the enacting clause of #SB15 because attacking trans women does nothing to save women’s sports. It’s a solution to problem that does not exist. What’s worse — it ignores the actual barriers women face,” wrote Rep. John Bucy (D-Austin) on Twitter.
We should address the lack of resources & funding, the lack of training & investment in women coaches, and the prevalence of sexual assault & harassment,” he added in a following tweet.
The bill was signed ceremoniously by Abbott on Monday at the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.
“The Texas Women’s Hall of Fame ensures that the achievements and contributions of women across Texas are written into our state’s legacy,” said Abbott at the signing. “We gather today to safeguard that legacy for women in college sports.”
Scanlan gave remarks prior to the signing and thanked Abbott for the support he has shown for women’s sports.
“Because of Governor Abbott’s profound commitment to women, and his leadership in the Texas legislature, here in Texas, women are now protected,” said Scanlan. “I hope other states follow in Texas’ footsteps and make the pro-woman choice to protect our sports.”
Gaines also presented her thanks to Abbott during her remarks, saying that he is “respecting our right to fair play, safe spaces, and privacy.”
“When Governor Abbott signed the Save Women’s Sports Act this summer, he sent a message to approximately 15 million Texan women. That they will be treated fairly on the playing fields, in sports arenas, and inside the locker rooms,” said Gaines.
Moving forward, Scanlan said the two hope to work with more hesitant states that may not have legislation enacted to protect women in sports.
“I think the next steps would be doing this in other states. A very limited number of states have been willing to put in legislation on a state level to protect women, in not just sports but also defining what a woman is in other women’s spaces,” said Scanlan to The Dallas Express.
“We’re going to continue advocating for that in all 50 states and hopefully someday on the federal level.”
