OPINION:
I have never seen anybody — of any race or either gender — come closer to emulating the efforts of Martin Luther King than former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines (“Riley Gaines credits faith, family for courage to speak out on transgender athletes,” web, Dec. 28).
Ms. Gaines is using her religious principles to stand up for women’s rights in sports, just as King leaned on his religious beliefs in the fight for civil rights.
King was not motivated by fortune or fame, and neither is Ms. Gaines. She is shining a spotlight on the manufacture of lies and denials and the cloak-and-dagger attempts by the Biden administration to infiltrate mainstream America with “woke” ideas about gender.
She has decided to be the voice for people who lack the courage to stand up themselves (some because they were threatened). Members of Congress have slammed her as a transphobic radical; Congress blasted and labeled King, too.
Ms. Gaines has realized that her religious principles can’t be refuted by social “experts,” and maybe that’s why these people refuse to include religious perspectives or biological facts in their narrative.
King spoke of the loneliness that came from taking up the mantle of righteousness. It seems Ms. Gaines, too, has had to face a lot of her attackers alone. King sacrificed time as a preacher in his church in Atlanta; Ms. Gaines has put off her career in dentistry. There are so many parallels between Ms. Gaines and King. It’s unfortunate that the same type of religious hatred still exists.
Recently, my niece decided she was not going to run track this spring because last year her school allowed boys to compete without notifying the parents. No matter what I told her, she wouldn’t change her mind — until I introduced her to Ms. Gaines’ message of fairness. She has now reconsidered her choice and her parents have challenged her school about the unfairness of allowing boys on the girls’ team.
Ultimately, the world embraced King, and I believe it will do the same with Riley Gaines. We need more like her in this world.
GREG RALEIGH
Washington
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