“That’s what we call progress.”

Riley Gaines has taken a hit as four transgender athletes prepare to compete on the Minnesota women’s hockey team. All four trans-identified male athletes were accepted to join the list. Following this, a biological athlete on the team announced her decision to resign from the team in protest.

Previously, seven transgender athletes competed on Minnesota women’s hockey teams. In October 2021, the sport’s national governing body, USA Hockey, implemented a policy allowing individuals to compete based on their gender identity. A trans athlete must identify as a woman and register with USA Hockey. The policy also requires coaches and officials to educate themselves on diversity issues.

After the four transgender athletes were allowed to compete on the Minnesota women’s team, Gaines, an advocate for women’s rights and safety in sports, criticized the decision and wrote:

“4 men on a women’s hockey team in Minnesota.

She further poked fun at the situation and added:

“That’s what they call progress.”

In Minnesota, the Women’s Hockey Association of Minnesota (WHAM) governs the sport while following USA Hockey guidelines.

Riley Gaines reacts to IOC ban on trans athletes in women’s sports

Riley Gaines recently responded to the International Olympic Committee’s plan to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports at the Games. With the Paris 2024 Games in mind, she also suggested that the IOC strip Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting of their medals.

“Back at the 2024 Olympics, in the sport of women’s boxing, you know the sport where the goal, the intention, is to knock out your opponent by physically punching them in the face. There was a man, actually two men, who won gold medals in their respective weight classes in the women’s division. Both of those athletes were proven to be men based on their medical records. Yet they still have their gold medals.”

She added:

“I think the next step in accountability and transparency is for the IOC to finally strip these two athletes of their gold medals and give them to the rightful winner, and issue a personalized apology to each female athlete who failed in the process.”

Previously, the IOC had allowed individual sports federations to make decisions regarding transgender athletes.