As we draw to the end of another calendar year it is once again time at this website of mine to honor an individual American for their unique and outstanding contribution to our nation.

As I have been doing for 17 of the last 19 years (there was a break in 2014-15 when the site was dedicated solely to baseball) it is time to name an American of the Year.

This year’s honoree comes from the world of organized athletics. But 23-year-old swimmer Riley Gaines, the youngest individual to receive this honor by far, is not being recognized for her athletic achievements in the pool. Instead, Gaines is recognized for her outspoken, common sense activism in support of women in sports.

A little background. Gaines was the 2022 Southeastern Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Student Athlete of the Year while at the University of Kentucky. She had previously made the All-SEC Freshman Team and was a member of the All-SEC Second Team in 2019. She again made All-SEC Second Team in 2020, and followed that up by making the All-SEC First Team in 2021.

In March of 2022, Gaines finished tied for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle competition at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. She was tied in that event with Lia Thomas, a male from the University of Pennsylvania who was competing as a transgender athlete.

In the weeks following that event, Gaines began to lobby state representatives in Kentucky to pass a law prohibiting males from competing in women’s sports as transgender females. From that point forward, Gaines would become one of the most outspoken female athletes in the world in defending women’s rights in athletics.

Gaines spoke in March 2023 to a Texas Senate committee considering just such a law: “The number of female athletes that have been denied opportunities, traumatized or hurt by policies that claim to promote inclusion are growing at an alarming rate,” Gaines told that committee per Taylor Goldenstein of the Houston Chronicle. “It’s simply unacceptable, and the integrity of women’s sports is lost.”

Then in June, Gaines appeared before a United States Senate Judiciary Committee as a witness in a hearing regarding this issue. Check out this clip:

Swimming World, which has been publishing under one name or another for more than six decades and is one of the most respected resources in the word for that corner of the athletic world, published an article in April 2022 by John Lohn. In the piece, Lohn wrote the following:

“Just how much of an advantage did Lia Thomas possesses over biological females? The numbers paint a clear picture. The fact that the University of Pennsylvania swimmer soared from a mid-500s ranking (554th in the 200 freestyle; all divisions) in men’s competition to one of the top-ranked swimmers in women’s competition tells the story of the unfairness which unfolded at the NCAA level.“

Gaines was among the first, but is not the only woman to go public in decrying the fairness of allowing biological males to compete against real females. Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele is now suing that company after she alleges that it violated her free speech rights due to her outspokenness regarding a number of issues, including males like Thomas competing as transgender females in women’s athletics. Steele appeared on Gaines’ podcast to speak about her situation:

Female athletes all across the country have followed Gaines lead and begun to speak out against the unfairness of competing against biological males, and demanding that their own rights as women be upheld.

In February, professional surfer Bethany Hamilton spoke out against World Surfing League policies that allow biological males to compete in the women’s categories.

A group of female track and field athletes in Connecticut – Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith and Ashley Nicoletti – are suing their state. Their court statement in June included the following:

“They trained hard to shave fractions of seconds off their race times so they could compete in state and regional meets, stand atop the winners’ podium, and perhaps even secure college athletic scholarships and gainful employment beyond. Yet those dreams were dashed, as the policy forced them to compete — and lose — to biological males.”

It is not only the issue of fair competition that has female athletes upset, but also that they are being forced to share locker, shower, and other intimately private team facilities with biological males.

At Roanoke College in Virginia, 10 members of the women’s swim team appeared together in October to speak out for their rights after a biological male had planned to try and compete with their team.

“When I was told a biological male would be swimming on the women’s swim team, all of my feeling turned to fear,” said Co-captain Kate Pearson per Joe Dashiell of WDBJ7.com news. “Throughout the last month, the women’s team and I have felt manipulated, helpless, angry, confused, upset, guilted, and most importantly unheard,” said Co-captain Bailey Gallagher.

Women and men are biologically different. To claim otherwise is simply ludicrous. Women must be offered the opportunity to compete fairly on equal terms against other women. Men who “associate” their gender as female and then try to compete athletically with women are bastardizing women’s athletics, and any organization who supports their effort is simply working against women’s rights at fair competition.

At her own RileyGaines.com website, Gaines describes herself as “a leader defending women’s single-sex spaces, advocating for equality and fairness, and standing up for women’s safety, privacy, and equal opportunities.”

For the personal integrity and courage demonstrated by her outspoken leadership on the important issue of fairness and safety for all true female athletes, particularly during this ‘woke’ media era, it is my honor to recognize Riley Gaines as the 2023 American of the Year.

PREVIOUS AMERICANS OF THE YEAR

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