Riley Gaines Barker, 21, a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky, has won many championships and awards for swimming throughout her college career. Earlier this year, she tied for 5th place with Lia Thomas in the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Barker said Thomas, competing for the University of Pennsylvania, received the 5th place trophy, while she was told that one would be sent to her at a later date.
“Women have fought the past 50 years today for equal rights in terms of sports and equal opportunities,” Barker told CNA.
“Just when you think you’re almost there, it’s a complete 180. My goal is to be here, and to use my voice to help bring light to the situation, and to help get back what Title IX is supposed to stand for,” she said.
For Barker, this issue comes down to a matter of fairness.
“It’s not that I’m transphobic. I don’t think that. I think that you can do what you want in your free time, but when you’re infringing on women’s sport and it’s involving lots of female athletes, that’s when I’m going to get involved and that’s when I’m going to speak up about it,” she said.
Cynthia Monteleone, who lives in Hawaii, is a mother of three, a track coach, a Team USA World Masters track champion, and an advocate for the preservation of women’s sports.
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