Virginia Republican names bill for swimmer whose fifth-place tie with trans athlete launched lucrative careerhttps://www.advocate.com/politics/national/john-mcguire-riley-gaines-act 🔗Christopher Wiggins (7 March 2026)
A Virginia Republican has introduced federal legislation named for a swimmer whose national prominence began with a tie for fifth place.
Rep. John McGuire on Monday announced the Riley Gaines Act, a bill that would allow female athletes to sue colleges, universities, and athletic associations that permit transgender women to compete in women's sports.
The proposal is named for Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who rose to national attention during the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. At that meet, Gaines tied for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle with Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania.
For Gaines, the race proved consequential, though not in the way elite athletic careers typically unfold.
Gaines's highest individual finish at the NCAA championships was that fifth-place tie. After graduating in 2022, she did not pursue competitive swimming. Instead, the moment became the starting point for a national profile built on opposition to transgender participation in women's athletics.
Gaines, 25, was the highest-paid employee of the conservative nonprofit Leadership Institute in 2024, receiving $474,313 in reportable compensation as director of the organization's Riley Gaines Center, according to the group's IRS Form 990 tax filing.
