Riley Gaines, NCAA athletes to testify in Georgia about competing against, sharing locker room with Lia Thomas

Breaking News: NCAA All-American Athletes to Testify in Georgia on Transgender Competition Controversy

In a significant development, five NCAA All-American female athletes, including OutKick.com contributor Riley Gaines, are set to testify in Georgia about their experiences competing against and sharing locker rooms with transgender athletes. This move comes as the Georgia state Senate has recently formed a Special Select Committee on Women’s Sports to examine the implications of biological males competing in women’s athletic events.

The committee's initial focus will be on the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, which saw transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, representing the University of Pennsylvania, compete against female athletes.

Riley Gaines, who is also the host of "Gaines for Girls," will be among those providing testimony. Gaines notably competed against Thomas and ended up in a tie during the 200-yard NCAA championships. This hearing marks a crucial step in the ongoing debate over gender identity and fairness in sports.

Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.

In addition to sharing their competitive experiences, Gaines and the other women will also discuss their discomfort at being required to share a locker room with Thomas.

The hearing will also feature testimonies from athletes Reka Gyorgy, Kylee Alons, Grace Countie, and Kaitlynn Wheeler. These women are part of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) and were involved in a lawsuit against the NCAA, filed in March. They allege that the NCAA's decision to permit Thomas to compete violated Title IX protections.

According to their lead attorney, William Bock III, the athletes will outline the personal and professional impacts they experienced due to the actions of Georgia Tech University and the NCAA. They will also propose measures to better safeguard women’s sports in the future.

"My top priority is to guarantee that female athletes in Georgia can compete on a fair and level playing field, and I am committed to this goal without compromise," Lt. Governor Burt Jones, R-Ga., stated when announcing the formation of the special committee. "We refuse to remain passive while radical politicians, athletic organizations, schools, and higher education institutions implement policies that jeopardize this fundamental right."