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Riley Gaines to sue SFSU for praising trans activists' 'peaceful' protest where she was attacked

The protest took place on April 6 when Riley Gaines went to give a speech about protecting women’s sports

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Swimmer Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American champion who demanded separate locker rooms for transgender athletes after she claimed she was exposed to trans swimmer Lia Thomas’ male genitalia, told on April 8 that she is pursuing legal action against San Francisco State University (SFSU) where she was assaulted by trans activists during a speech on April 6. This comes after Jamillah Moore, vice president for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, praised the protesters for demonstrating “the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully.”

Moore issued a mail to the students and wrote, "Thank you to our students who participated peacefully on Thursday [April 6] evening’s event. It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space. I am proud of the moments where we listened and asked insightful questions. I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully. These issues do not go away, and these values are very much at our core."

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The vice president further stated, "This feels difficult because it is difficult. As you reflect, process, and begin to heal, please remember that there are people, resources and services available and ready to receive our Gator community, including faculty, staff members, coaches and mentors who are here to support you."

What happened on April 6?

Swimmer Riley Gaines says she was “ambushed and physically hit twice by a man” and was forced to barricade for three hours from the protesters who attacked during her speech about protecting women’s sports. Sharing a video of the incident, she wrote, "The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU." And added, "This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces." In the video, one of the protesters can be heard yelling, "Why are you running!” who later shouts, “Yeah you f***ing transphobic bitch."

Her husband, Louis Barker, said that she was being “hit multiple times,” reports New York Post. He said, “I was shaking. It made me that mad. It makes me sick to feel so helpless about it. She was under police protection and was still hit by a man wearing a dress.”

'That ambush was the opposite of peaceful'

Following the VP's mail to students, Gaines tweeted, "I'm sorry did this just say PEACEFUL.... I was assaulted. 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." She added in another tweet, "I have no problem with "peaceful" protest. I actually welcome it. I was grateful to see a diverse crowd in the room during my speech which I expressed multiple times. We had great dialogue and listened to each other. But that ambush was the opposite of peaceful."

Gaines then pointed out that Moore blocked her on Twitter as she stated, "The woman who released the statement following the riot where I was verbally and physically assaulted at @SFSU (to which she called peaceful) blocked me. I guess it's easier for her to ignore me than to denounce violence against women. She won't be able to ignore my lawsuit."