The Women Who Inspire Us: Riley Gaines

This March, our NeW Ambassadors celebrate Women’s History Month by telling us about the conservative women who inspire them from the past or present day. Our Ambassador Abby Ayres told us why Riley Gaines inspires her.

The conservative woman I look up to is Riley Gaines. She is inspiring in how she fights for women’s rights in sports. As someone who has a sister in college athletics, I appreciate Riley for fighting for my sister’s rights in her sport.

Riley’s advocacy has caused many policy changes, and I am grateful for all she has done. Having her speak at my university and seeing the number of athletes who showed up to watch her speak meant so much to me. I appreciate how much change she has impacted, and I continue to keep up with her as she continues to fight for women’s sports.

When Riley came to speak on my campus, she talked about what she went through as a female athlete competing against a biological man in her swim competition. She explained that she is not the only woman who has gone through this and that it needs to stop.

The University of Cincinnati’s women’s swim team and the Xavier Women’s swim team came to watch Riley speak at the University of Cincinnati. I was so proud to have hosted such a fantastic event on my campus that brought so many women together.

At the event, a volleyball mom expressed her concerns for her daughter, and Riley was there to reassure her as she had many lawsuits underway to bring change to women’s sports.

This blog was written by NeW Ambassador Abby Ayres.