Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer, delivered a stirring address at Turning Point USAs Americafest on Sunday.
She urged the audience to uphold the truth in an era where many are "denying objective truth."
Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, shared her experience from the 2022 NCAA finals where she tied with former UPenn swimmer and biological male Lia Thomas. She was denied the opportunity to hold the trophy because "its crucial that Lia is holding the trophy." Gaines expressed her disappointment, saying, "I naively thought someone else would stand up for us."
She further added, "What wishful thinking that was. If we wait for the people to do the right thing we'll be waiting forever." Gaines emphasized the need for self-reliance, stating, "I realized how in the world could we expect someone else to save us if we weren't even willing to save ourselves? This has to come from us as women as female athletes."
Gaines attributed the current situation to "entirely spiritual warfare," referencing biblical teachings. She said, "Paul warns us several times throughout various chapters of the Bible, Acts and Romans, he tells us we will reach a point where bitter is seen as sweet and dark is seen as light and evil is seen as moral."
She clarified her stance, stating, "And that's not me saying that people who are struggling with gender dysphoria are evil. No, of course not. But deceit is evil and manipulation is evil and affirming lies and delusions that's evil."
Gaines expressed concern over the infringement of First Amendment rights and the compromise of freedom of speech. She criticized the changing language around gender, saying, "The language that we're using is changing and shifting entirely. This idea of 'biological woman' makes me want to throw up."
She further criticized the new terms being used to refer to women, such as "cervix haver" or "uterus owner" or "menstruator" or "bleeder," or "birthing person" or "chest feeder." She urged the audience to be mindful of the language they use, stating, "Because it's powerful. When you control language. You control everything, and that's very evident through our media and our government and different things."
Gaines pointed out that the denial of objective truth is at the heart of many cultural issues today. She said, "When we deny man and woman again, the essence of humanity, we're essentially denying that the sky is blue. We're being asked to say two plus two is five, and we're adhering."
She suggested that these issues "points directly in the direction of Cultural Marxism." Gaines encouraged the audience to speak with individuals who have fled countries like North Korea, China, Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, Germany, or Russia. She said, "They will tell you that what we're seeing here in the US is exactly what they saw at one point in their country or what they may continue to see happening in those countries."
Gaines urged the crowd to work hard in the lead-up to the next election, but reminded them that "change does not start in the White House." She said, "It starts in your house. And so parents, set a good example. Show your children love, whether that be through your personal relationships, whether that be through your marriage. Teach them the goodness of God."
She concluded her address by encouraging the crowd to "be bold, be courageous, be willing to say the truth." She said, "For evil to triumph, it only takes good men and good women to do nothing. A lie will never become the truth, evil will never become moral, bad will never become good, just because it's accepted and embraced by a small portion of society."
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