Absurd Truth: Riley Gaines on Saving Women's Sports

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Dana Lashes of Sir Truth Podcast sponsored by Kel-Tec. It's his life mission to make bad decisions. It's time for Florida Man. A 67-year-old Florida man decided to rob a bank to get rent money.

That's kind of sad in a way, isn't it? 67-year-old Michael Noonan tried his hand at bank robbery because he wanted to just cover his rent. And he went to a Bank of America in Hollywood, Florida to try to get $650. He slid a brown plastic bag to the teller saying he had a gun and she should put cash in it. And she did nothing. She just stood there and stared at him. And then he reiterated, you know, he like indicated he had a gun.

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So take care of your liver with Liver Health Formula and get a free bonus gift at GetLiverHelp.com slash Dana. One of the things we've covered here quite regularly, I think almost every single day, is this, it's an attack on women. It's an attack on women's sports.

And it's just so wild to me that we even have to have this conversation on basic biology and science. And one of the questions that always is in my mind is why is it that women are the ones? Why are women the ones who have to compromise everything? Why are women the ones that are supposed to give up everything from medals at different events and this and that and spaces?

It seems incredibly unfair as it is. And of course, this really got kickstarted with the whole story about Lea Thomas, the swim team in Pennsylvania, and with Riley Gaines. Because she was one of the first to speak out against this. And I think up until that time, a lot of women, even though we live in this era of so-called empowerment, a lot of women felt afraid to speak out. Because when you see women speak out about these things, they are harassed nonstop. They're called TERFs, which is a sexual slur. I mean, they have a lot of misogyny directed towards them.

And it gets violent, very violent sometimes. We had video of Gaines. She was speaking at an event in California. And she was like chased into a classroom because the Trantifa were outside and they were incredibly loud and incredibly intimidating.

And anybody would have been worried for their safety. Well, since then, Gaines has been incredibly busy. And she's now the director of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute. And she joins us now via Skype. Riley, appreciate you joining us today.

Thanks for everything that you're doing. Because like I said, I had a cousin at a school in Missouri and they literally went through this whole thing. She was an athlete.

It was in Hillsboro, Missouri. And there was an 18-year-old male that was demanding to share locker room space with this family member of ours. These were minor girls. And this was right after you really started speaking out. And I think a lot of, I really do mean that, I think a lot of women, especially girls in school, didn't really know how to deal with this because of the pushback they were getting. Have you, obviously, from your perspective, you've seen a huge change in this.

Certainly. But I will say that pushback is very real. You know, what I went through at my university, what they told us, it's really nothing short of criminal, the amount of emotional blackmail, gaslighting that they put us through.

They told us, you know, if we spoke out, it's something that would follow us forever. You'll be labeled a trans folk forever. You will never get a job. You will never get into grad school.

You know, you'll lose your friends. You'll lose your scholarship and your playing time. When we were concerned about the locker room, specifically Leah Thomas' teammates, actually, and they sent an email to their administration expressing their discomfort, 16 of these girls signed on to this email as well as their parents. Their university responded back with, if you feel uncomfortable seeing male genitalia, here's some counseling resources that you should seek in an attempt to reeducate yourself.

They told these girls, you know, you're not allowed to take a stance because your school has already taken your stance for you. They told us that if we did happen to speak out and any harm whatsoever were to come towards Thomas' way, you know, whether that's physical, mental, emotional, through social media, whatever that harm looked like, they told us that we would be solely responsible and we would be responsible for a potential death. And that would make us a murderer. And you don't want to be a murderer, do you? Of course not.

Who would want to be a murderer? But that's what they used to keep us quiet. The abuse, I mean, it's so incredibly abusive. Why is it that if a man feels uncomfortable, if he wants to say that he's a woman, and if he feels uncomfortable in men's spaces or on men's teams, he's accommodated. But if women feel uncomfortable having their spaces or their teams invaded by a man, they're told to just, well, everything that you just described, I mean, they're threatened. They're blackmailed. They're told they have to do this. They aren't accommodated. They're just told to step aside. I mean, I thought that, you know, we lived in this empowerment, equality era doesn't sound like it.

Why is there this difference? Look, this is the patriarchy, right? This is everything that once, again, really not to even make this issue political, because what I've noticed is it really isn't a political issue.

The overwhelming majority of people agree on this, actually. You wouldn't know it if you just watched the news and saw how politicians voted. But despite that, this is coming from the party that once championed themselves on advocating for women and fighting for women's rights. Yeah, forget that.

Now we have the same administration, these same people. They can't even define what a woman is. But make no mistake, this isn't just women's sports. Notice the language that we're using. It's only changing as it pertains to women.

Why is mother deemed offensive? Why are we, as women, why aren't we called menstruators or cervix-havers, uterus owners, most recently by Mr. Rachel Levine, a Biden appointee. We're called egg producers.

And again, this is happening one way. Why aren't we calling men, which I'm not advocating for this. Why aren't we calling men sperm producers or, to be totally frank, erection-havers?

Because we know that sounds so silly. But it's totally okay to reduce a woman down to her biological function. Same thing in prisons. Why aren't women, who identify as men, going into men's prisons or joining men's fraternities?

This is only happening one way. And it shows who's really at jeopardy in regards to a lot of this gender ideology propaganda, and that's specifically women, and specifically children, as it pertains to the education system for sure. Yeah, we're talking with Riley Gaines. Riley, there was a story that we actually talked about on air a couple of weeks ago, and it was this woman who finally felt comfortable enough. She was in the UK. She came forward. She was saying that she didn't get into the nature of her surgery, but it sounded like it was a very serious surgery that she had to have immediately.

She had gone in. Our doctors were very concerned. But when she was there, there was a man who was dressed as a nurse who came in, and it made her feel very uncomfortable considering the female intimate nature of her surgery and her procedure that she was getting ready to go through. And she had voiced a concern, and then they had canceled her surgery.

This was in the Daily Mail. They had canceled her surgery, and it ended up complicating it. It got worse, and it made it a lot worse for her when she finally was able to go in. There was a firestorm of support in her favor, but you had mentioned Rachel Levine, a man who is dressing and wants to identify as a woman but who's also over at HHS, which is bizarre to me because I feel like that is the politicization of health. Do you feel that if you had not stood up in the way that you did and pushed back and encouraged other women to push back, do you think that we were on a road to start seeing this sort of discrimination against women even in healthcare like this one story? Certainly, and you're right to call it broader than just sports.

When I was first impacted, I only saw this sport, but now that I've taken a step back and see this for what it really is, you're exactly right. This is a war on women, and it's a slippery slope. That's what we're seeing. I think a lot of people are becoming aware to the fact of how slippery this slope really is, which is why more and more people are becoming more bold. They're becoming more empowered to state the obvious.

Really, what I'm saying, what you're saying, it shouldn't require courage to say these things. It's the most basic of truths that we know as humans, man and woman. It's the essence of humanity. It's how we're all here, and they're asking us to deny that, which is a pretty Orwellian thought. They want us to say two plus two is five, and we know it's not, but so many of us, whether that be coaches, whether that be medical professionals, whether that be people in the church, pastors, preachers, we're adhering.

We're saying two plus two is five, and we can't continue to do that, or it's just a matter of time before it's the next thing. Again, I know that sounds grim. I know that sounds almost conspiracist, right? But truly, would you have imagined five years ago we'd be here where we're at now? No. Not at all.

I think it's important to look into the future about where this could potentially lead us. I have to ask you about your dust-up that you had with Keith Olbermann. I get mad for you when I see this sort of abuse directed at you. I'm not surprised who it comes from, but this is just one of a long line of people who they tried to say that, because you had tied with, you know, Lea Thomas, and as I remember, they gave him the trophy, but you didn't actually get one, which I thought was also unfair. It's a whole other thing. But Keith Olbermann had responded to something that you had said, because you were talking about Women's Bill of Rights, and he accused you of just sucking at swimming, which I thought was an incredibly ironic and misogynistic response to your efforts to do everything that we're talking about here.

I know that has to make you mad. You're a young woman. How do you deal with that?

And then what do you tell through your leadership institute? Because that's a hard thing for women to have to deal with. Young women who are coming up, whether it's in sports or whether it's in the workplace, this is the kind of stuff that they have to deal with.

I mean, it just makes me want to slap everybody. How are you talking to women to respond to this? I'm very fortunate that I'm secure with myself. I know my intentions. I know my heart.

I know there's no hate in my heart anywhere. And so when someone like Keith, who worked at ESPN, right? I mean, someone who is supposed to understand sports, what I've accomplished in my sport being a 12-time All-American, I'm actually still the SEC record holder in the 200 butterfly, one of the fastest Americans of all time. I mean, as you mentioned, that's just blatant misogyny to say I'm bad at swimming.

So I'm fortunate that that does not hurt my feelings by any means. I actually, I'll put it on the record right here. I would love to challenge him to a race.

It might actually disprove my argument, so maybe it wouldn't be good for me because I do think I could take him in the pool. But what I would say to other women, which is why I launched the Riley Gaines Center through the Leadership Institute, we need more leaders. We need more people to be unapologetic and standing firm in the truth.

That's what my center will do. It's a training program where we are going to inspire and embolden and provide resources and support to individuals. The sisterhood. Yeah, absolutely. It certainly is.

And that's what my sport was to me for so long. And so I want to create that for other girls so they feel confident to know that we're in the overwhelming majority. We really are. And to know just how crucial it is to do what's right, do what's just, and again, do what's true. Good for you for that because I know a lot of, especially now, women need a sisterhood.

And especially coming up with all of this stuff now, they've needed it now more than ever. Riley Gaines, you can find her at leader. The website is rileygainescenter.org, the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute. Congratulations on your well-fought and ongoing fight and for inspiring an army of women to stand out there with you because that's what it's going to take. Appreciate what you do. Thanks for joining us today.

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And now, all of the news you would probably miss. It's time for Dana's Quick 5. So the opioid overdose antidote, Narcan, will be available over the counter as a nose spray in the coming days, making it the first treatment of its kind available to the public without prescription. The manufacturer, Emergent BioSolutions, announced the first batch of the nasal spray has officially shipped to leading drugstores, pharmacies, groceries, and online retailers.

The suggested price for the two-dose package is $44.99. They're going to have it at, like, CVS. That says something, how prevalent opioids are, that you have to have something over the counter like this. This got over the counter faster than birth control. Just saying.

Thanks, Democrats, for twice defeating that Republican bill. Superman star, Henry Cavill is set to star in the reboot. This is going to be very controversial for some of you. Of the Highlander. They're rebooting the Highlander with Henry Cavill.

So, are you... Remember, it began at 86, starred Christopher Lambert, and then it had a TV series. I mean, he was a good Highlander. Henry Cavill, I think, is going to be a good Highlander.

I like the first season of The Witcher. But I think he'll be a good Highlander. Let's see. Voice deep fakes are coming for your bank balance, apparently.

Golly. Always have a safe word, like with everything. Always have a safe word with everything, because that's one thing that AI won't be able to actually know. But there are all of these stories of these people talking about, like, used to it was people calling their parents, acting like the kids, saying that they were in trouble. Now there's this story coming out where this investor called his local bank to discuss a big money transfer, and then he called again, except the second call wasn't from him. It was a software program that generated his voice with AI to trick the banker. So it's a new scam attempt that has got the attention of cybersecurity experts. So, yeah, just, you know, fantastic.

Let's see. Eleven were taken to the hospital after a Delta jetliner hit turbulence near an Atlanta airport. They were, I mean, they were okay, but it was left Milan, and it was about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta's international airport when they hit severe turbulence. It did land safely. They were taken to the hospital, carried 151 passengers.

But they said that they were rebooking and making sure that other people could get to their destinations. Our friend Maj Chore, founder of Black Guns Matter, joins us next. Stay with us. Happy birthday to Van Morrison, 78 years old.

And also the reason I use the word fantabulous is because of him. Dana, last year, the bottom of this first hour, this is like the song about moons, right? So just full disclosure, Kane and I did not sleep well last night. Like, my husband didn't sleep well last night. None of us slept well last night. We came in and we're like, gosh, why is it that we were up tossing into our, why did we not sleep? And then you're like, it's the damn super blue moon! You said it like Danny DeVito.

I did. That's what it is. You think it is? I think that's what it is. It's the blue moon? The super blue moon.

Because it was bigger? The blue moon, I think, is just when the moon arrives. That's when you have the second moon in a month.

So this is the second moon in August, but it's the super moon because it was apparently closer to the Earth than previous full moons. And that happens once a decade. Did you turn into a werewolf? No, I didn't.

Dang, that sucks. See, that would have been really fun. I didn't even shave this morning, actually. You didn't like any extra hair pop out or anything? No, I was good there, just didn't sleep. So you think it was because of the full super blue moon, right? Yeah.

I'm blaming that. I'm not scientifically sure that that's what it was. See, I feel, because this is stuff my grandma would say. And some of the stuff that she said, because I'm just like, that sounds witchy. I don't know. I don't think that is the moon.

She was also a farmer's almond egg person. But does it? I mean, I know it affects tides. So I guess, I don't know, maybe it would affect, you know, you. I just, and then so we're talking about it. We're like, Steve, did you have trouble sleeping too? And he's like, no, I slept a full 10 hours.

I'm a millennial, this super boomer doesn't affect me. Must be nice. Yeah. Must be nice. I had a poker game and I had a couple glasses of wine as one does at poker.

And then I came home and was tired. Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Full stop. Full stop right now. Let's stop at that sentence. One moment, please. We'll get in the meet and taties.

Everybody hold up. Steve just said, I had a couple of glasses of wine at poker, as one normally does. At poker.

The hell kind of bougie poker are you playing at? I mean, we were lucky, Kane, if there was some old beer. Right.

Someone's dad had beer in the fridge. Right. I mean, and they're having wine with poker. That's, I mean, dang, y'all fancy.

Not they. I had wine. They had beer.

I'd buy that like cheap Aldi wine that's like five bucks, but it's real good. I'm just hooked on it. Oh my gosh. You guys are killing me. All it took was a couple of drinks for him to get a nice 10 hours of sleep while the rest of us were just suffering under the super blue moon.

Yeah. We were like, we were dying. We were just tossing and turning. The moon's getting bigger. And then Steve's just sleeping like a baby. He had a night of poker and a couple of glasses of Aldi wine.

He said, man. Oh, so they said that this was also supposed to have an effect on what? Like the, the flood, the floodwater and the tides and all. I don't know. Apparently people's moods too. Yeah. Is that why everyone was so annoying last night? Yeah. Like on Twitter. Yeah.

And everywhere else. You know, what's really fun is an election season and a super blue moon. Oh man.

God's like, let's make it interesting. And then he takes a can of jerks and sprinkles it on the whole stew. That's what he does. From the jerk store. Yeah.

He got it from the jerk store. Totally ripping off Gary Larson's far side, but you get the idea. But that's, it's, it does seem like that, right? You really got a, Kane and I, we were all, we were totally joking about this. We're like, man, we were weird, some, some people deserve to get told. We're trying to be, you know, trying to realize the effects of the super blue moon and combat that by not giving into it. I didn't turn into a werewolf or anything, but man alive. I went outside. It was, it was unnaturally huge. It was, it was this very, so that's why I guess we were tossing and turning. I don't know if that makes sense or not. If it doesn't, I will totally hear about it from, from some of you who are listening. The others of you are going to be like my grandma and my mom, and you're going to be, Oh, well the farmer's on me.

You guys, I know you're going to do it because you always do it every time something like this comes up. Well, your grandmother is right. She was a smart lady. I know. I know. I'm just saying. Thanks for tuning into today's edition of Dana Lash's Absurd Truth podcast. If you haven't already made sure to hit that subscribe button on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.