Swimmer-turned-activist, Riley Gaines Barker, says a spiritual awakening gave her the courage to openly oppose biological males competing in women's sports. .The 23-year-old Barker, who graduated in 2022 from the University of Kentucky, made her comments in an on-stage conversation with Pastor Gary Hamrick..Hamrick introduced Barker to his Cornerstone Chapel congregation in Leesburg, Virginia as the swimmer who said, “Enough is enough.”."This past year, I really have been spiritually awakened. I've seen so evidently how God moves through people, how He has His hand on me in this situation, in this fight," Barker said. ."I've also seen so evidently how His opposition works and moves through people… It's plaguing this country. And I think we can all agree this is a spiritual battle. It's no longer right versus wrong, good versus bad. This is moral versus evil." .Barker’s athletic career changed when Will Thomas swam three years on the men's team at the University of Pennsylvania before switching to the women's team as Lia Thomas for a fourth year..Thomas tied Barker for fifth place in a freestyle race at the March 2022 NCAA Championships.."We…didn't know we would be changing in a locker room [together] until [it happened]…This is a 6-ft. 4-in. 22-year-old male who was fully exposing male parts in our locker room where we were simultaneously undressing," Barker recalled."We went the exact same time down to the 100th of a second…the NCAA official looks at both Thomas and me and says, 'Great job. But you guys tied, and we only have one trophy. So we're going to give this trophy to Lia. Lia has to have it for pictures.’ Sorry Riley,...you go home empty-handed; Lia takes the trophy home. End of story.'".Gaines, now married and the owner of a dog named Lady, said that spurn changed her life.."That is what thrust me into this position of no longer being willing to lie because that's what they were asking us to do when they're asking us to smile and happily step aside and allow these men onto our podiums, taking our scholarships and our opportunities and our titles…[and] not feel uncomfortable by having this man undressing inches away from us where we were undressing.".Barker was done waiting for a coach or official to defend her and other female athletes.."It slapped me across the face, this realization of, if we as women weren't willing to stick up for ourselves, how can we expect someone else to stick up for us?" Barker said. .The congregation saw video of Barker’s testimony before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 21. She told Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley how women like her get called names when they complain it’s unfair to force them to compete against trans athletes.."That is continually happening…They will call you everything under the sun, whether it's 'transphobic, homophobic, racist, white supremacist, domestic terrorists.' They will throw them all at you and hope to deter you and hope to silence you," Barker told Hawley.."Lia Thomas' teammates were forced every single week to go to mandatory LGBT education meetings to learn about how just by being 'cisgender,' they were oppressing Lia Thomas..They were told that they're not allowed to take a stance because their school has already taken their stance for them. They were told they would never get a job. .“‘You will never get into grad school. You will lose your friends. You will lose your scholarship and playing time if you speak out…If you do speak out and any harm whatsoever comes toward Thomas' way — whether that's through social media, whether that's physical, mental, emotional harm — then you are solely responsible and you could be responsible for a potential death.'".Barker told the congregation Romans 8:18 inspired her for "the fight". It reads, "For our present sufferings aren't worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.”.“[This verse] was my favourite when I was younger because I really related it to swimming. …The suffering was the practices, but when you won, it made it all feel worth it," Barker explained.."But now…[it applies to] what I'm fighting for now. The suffering, which is, of course, the backlash, the emotional toll. I mean, there's a lot…But it is so worth it when you understand what's at stake and when you understand what you're fighting for, which is, of course, this next generation.”
