Riley Gaines Condemns San Francisco State University for Statement Thanking Students after Attack

Riley Gaines, a swimmer and advocate for restrictions governing competition with transgender athletes, condemned San Francisco State University (SFSU) on Saturday night for the school’s response to protests during which she was reportedly assaulted and trapped in a room for hours.

“I’m sorry did this just say PEACEFUL…I was assaulted. I was extorted and held for [ransom]. 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,” Gaines tweeted.

Her comments come in response to SFSU releasing an official statement thanking students “who participated peacefully in Thursday evening’s event.”

After acknowledging that the school “finds itself again at the center of a national discussion regarding freedom of speech and expression,” the school’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, Jamillah Moore, reaffirmed that “the trans community is welcome and belongs at San Francisco State University.” The statement went on to make a glancing reference to the chaos on campus, saying “we may also find ourselves exposed to divergent views and even views we find personally abhorrent. These encounters have sometimes led to discord, anger, confrontation and fear. We must meet this moment and unite with a shared value of learning.”

She then pivoted to thank the students who participated “peacefully,” saying: “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.” She concluded by offering up various campus resources to help students “begin to heal.”

The public statement failed to directly address the violent altercation between protesters and Gaines, leading her to be barricaded in a campus room for her personal safety.

Turning Point USA and the Leadership Institute had invited Gaines to speak at an event on the SFSU campus exploring women’s athletics and the inequalities that female competitors could face against transgender opponents. A series of clips documenting the ensuing bedlam was released by the student newspaper. One video shows police escorting Gaines through a campus building, while another video shows the crowd blackmailing the former NCAA swimmer from the University of Kentucky, demanding payment to let her go free.

Gaines first grabbed national attention for publicly criticizing the inclusion of transgender swimmers, notably Lia Thomas, in women’s events. During the 2022 NCAA women’s championship, Gaines tied Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle event.

Despite the well-documented violence during the recent clash, university police confirmed on Friday that no arrests had been made.

“We are conducting an ongoing investigation into the situation. There were no arrests related to the event. The disruption occurred after the conclusion of the event which made it necessary for UPD officers to move the event speaker from the room to a different, safe location,” local law enforcement at SFSU told Fox News.