Simone Biles deletes X account after backlash over transgender athlete debate with Riley Gaines
Olympic gold medalist
Simone Biles
has deleted her X (formerly Twitter) account amid mass backlash after she rallied behind a transgender high school sports star during a heated exchange with former swimmer and women's sport activist Riley Gaines.
Simone Biles, who is universally acclaimed around the world for her historic gymnastics legacy, broke the notion that sport can be either competitive fairness or direct inclusion of all. Her position, however, spurred polarized responses on social media platforms, specifically on X, where she had almost two million followers, when suddenly her account disappeared.
Simone Biles and Riley Gaines
clash over trans athlete's victory at high school championship
The row began earlier in June when Simone Biles spoke out strongly in defense of Riley Gaines' attack on transgender softball player Marissa Rothenberger, who helped Minnesota's Champlin Park High School to a state championship.
Riley Gaines had referred to the win as 'expected when your star player is a boy,' causing fresh controversy surrounding transgender sport and school sports.
Following a public outcry, Simone Biles issued a public apology on X, saying she intended to support equity and inclusion but accepted that her language towards Riley Gaines was too personal. 'I wanted to follow up on my last tweets. I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport.
The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for,' Simone Biles wrote.
'We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.
Olympian accuses Simone Biles of bullying her 'many times'
There was still backlash, however, as other sporting personalities chimed in, including MyKayla Skinner and Danica Patrick.
Some denounced Biles for quashing dissent by deactivating her account, while others defended her move as a boundary-setting gesture against cyberbullying.
Riley Gaines made a public reply to the deletion. "Sad to see such a phenom go down like this.'
Also read:
Simone Biles thanks Cecile Landi with a surprise luxury tequila during her Olympic break
While Simone Biles herself has not spoken on the removal of her X account, her Instagram account of over 12 million followers remains active. Whether or not this is an ongoing reprieve or ultimate goodbye to the platform, the action has been what spurred a broader conversation on the boundaries of online speech and the expectation that public figures must assume when battling for representation in sport.
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