Arrr! Riley Gaines be claimin' that Penn State be cancelin' her speech on Real Women's Day! Blimey! The scurvy dogs be hypocrites!
2023-10-10
Arr, ye scurvy dogs at Penn State be cancelin' me appearance at Real Women's Day! Riley Gaines be ready to speak, but they be refusin'! Aye, 'tis a sad day when a pirate can't spread her wisdom.
But Gaines didn't take this lying down. She posted a video of Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi explaining that, as a public university, they are bound by the First Amendment to bring in speakers who may be considered controversial. Bendapudi also emphasized the importance of higher education fighting against censorship and combating bad ideas with better ideas. She later clarified that the school supports those who wish to protest against these speakers.
Armed with this video, Gaines called out the school and Bendapudi for their apparent about-face. She expressed her confusion over the president's explanation in the video and the subsequent cancellation of her speech, sarcastically stating that she would still be showing up with a soapbox and megaphone.
Gaines has been an advocate for fairness in girls and women's sports, specifically advocating to keep biological males out. This stance has received both criticism and support. In fact, 23 states have passed laws since 2020 that restrict transgender athletes from participating in sports that do not align with their gender at birth.
Details surrounding the cancellation of Gaines' speech and the release of the video are still unknown. However, it seems that Gaines is determined to have her voice heard, even if she has to resort to unconventional methods to do so.