Riley Gaines whines that university “canceled” her after she failed to file papers to get a room

Penn State is disputing claims from former collegiate simmer and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines that the university canceled a speech she was set to make on campus.

On Monday, Gaines posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi explains why the First Amendment obligates the school to allow “bigots” to speak on campus.

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The former Olympian dismissed her critics with the incendiary comment in a new interview.

“No way President of Penn State makes a whole video explaining why public institutions are legally obligated to let ‘bigots’ apparently like me on campus to speak then proceeds to CANCEL my speech tomorrow for real women’s day (X/X),” Gaines wrote. “Have it your way. See ya tomorrow with a soap box and megaphone, Penn State!”

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Gaines herself named October 10th “Real Women’s Day,” since the Roman numerals for 10/10 are XX, symbolizing for Gaines that “real” women have XX chromosomes.

No way President of Penn State makes a whole video explaining why public institutions are legally obligated to let "bigots" apparently like me on campus to speak then proceeds to CANCEL my speech tomorrow for real women's day (X/X)😭😂

Have it your way. See ya tomorrow with a… pic.twitter.com/vHTPbK6hBZ

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 9, 2023

The day after Gaines’ claim against the school, Penn State released a statement declaring that “no event featuring Riley Gaines has ever been canceled at Penn State.”

The statement explained that the right-wing group, Turning Point USA, failed to meet the deadline to submit the required documents for reserving indoor space. It emphasized that these documents are “an expectation upheld for any recognized student organization at Penn State.”

It continued, “The group then shared alternative plans for an outdoor event to celebrate free speech, and as late as last week they had no confirmation that Ms. Gaines would attend the event, however they sent a confirmation early this morning.”

Gaines proceeded to argue again that she was targeted, but the university has maintained it did nothing wrong.

I mean do you need confirmation that I was scheduled a room on campus? The cancellation was done after scheduling through Leadership Institute (not campus affiliated group) after TPUSA didn't meet the deadline. Btw TPUSA DID initially meet the deadline, but the University… https://t.co/sHE5o5uOtx pic.twitter.com/C1O4hGadd6

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 10, 2023

Gaines did ultimately speak outside on campus on October 10. Her speech drew a slew of pro-trans rights student protestors, two of whom were detained by police for “disorderly conduct,” according to the school’s blog, Onward State.

BREAKING NEWS: Police arrest two protesters at Riley Gaines speech at PSU after they flip table and become disorderly.#RileyGaines #SaveWomensSports #RealWomensDay #XX #WhatIsAWoman @Riley_Gaines_ pic.twitter.com/Ve7lPQ6TeX

— The College Fix (@CollegeFix) October 10, 2023

The blog also stated that despite Gaines’s use of a megaphone, her speech was more or less drowned out by protestors screaming “can’t swim” and “protect trans rights.”

“What are you so scared of?” Gaines reportedly asked the protestors. “The truth? Science? Common sense? Logic? Reasoning? I’d love to hear your argument here because what I’m here to talk about is men are men, women are women, and you cannot change your sex. It’s that simple.”

Gaines rose to prominence on the far-right after she tied for fifth place with transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the women’s 200m freestyle final at the National Collegiate Athletics Association swimming and diving championships. Ever since, Gaines has been crusading against trans rights, claiming she was robbed of some sort of victory by having to share fifth place with a trans woman.