Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was reportedly assaulted by a man in a dress and mobbed by verbally abusive protesters after giving a speech Thursday at San Francisco State University.
Rather than denounce the violence or castigate protesters for hounding the 23-year-old All-American swimmer into hiding for three hours, the university instead extolled those responsible.
Jamillah Moore, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at SFSU, issued a statement thanking students involved in the protest, which at one stage devolved further into an extortionist effort.
What's the background?
TheBlaze previously reported that Gaines discussed the invasion of female-only spaces by men at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute event on April 6.
Gaines told SFSU students about her time competing in the women’s NCAA swimming championships against male athlete Lia Thomas, whom she claimed in a February interview had exposed his male genitalia in a women's locker room after a meet.
Footage taken by the student-run news outfit Golden Gate Xpress shows police escorting Gaines down a hallway and away from the angry mob. When the officers reach the end of one corridor, they appear to find the door to a safe room locked, at which point Gaines turns to calmly face the extremists, who hold signs that read, "Go the f*** home," "trans lives matter," and "trans women are women."
One LGBT activist can be heard screaming, "transphobic b****."
In addition to allegedly being struck multiple times by a man in a dress, Gaines was barricaded in a room for approximately three hours and was only able to leave campus after police threatened to arrest the remaining protesters.
\u201cRiley Gaines has been escorted out of the event into a side hallway in the HSS Building. Students were following through \u201ctrans women are women\u201d 8:31 p.m\u201d
— Golden Gate Xpress (@Golden Gate Xpress) 1680834361
SFSU celebrates the anti-feminist mob
Jamillah Moore first underscored in her statement that "the trans community is welcome and belongs at San Francisco State University."
Despite SFSU's alleged "diversity," Moore noted that "we may also find ourselves exposed to divergent views and even views we find personally abhorrent. These encounters have sometimes led to discord, anger, confrontation and fear. We must meet this moment and unite with a shared value of learning."
"Thank you to our students who participated peacefully in Thursday evening's event," wrote Moore.
Although there was only one 23-year-old speaker while there were scores of screaming protesters, Moore said, "It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space."
At the end of the statement — which is entirely bereft of an apology or a recognition that Gaines was attacked on university property — Moore indicated that there are resources available to members of the mob, such as counseling and psychological services.
David Llamas, a TPUSA representative in the area, highlighted how SFSU "said NOTHING about the ASSAULT of @Riley_Gaines_! Instead saying students 'participated peacefully' and how the school is 'proud.'"
Sara Gonzales, the host of BlazeTV's "The News & Why It Matters," tweeted, "That was not a peaceful protest, that was an assault followed by kidnapping and holding Riley hostage. I hope she sues the shit out of you."
All-American blasts SFSU's un-American response
Gaines responded to Moore's statement, writing, "I'm sorry did this just say PEACEFUL.... I was assaulted. I was extorted and held for random [sic]. The protestors demanded I pay them if I wanted to make it home safely. I missed my flight home because I was barricaded in a classroom... We must have different definitions of peaceful."
\u201cI'm sorry did this just say PEACEFUL.... I was assaulted. I was extorted and held for random. The protestors demanded I pay them if I wanted to make it home safely. I missed my flight home because I was barricaded in a classroom...\n\nWe must have different definitions of peaceful.\u201d
— Riley Gaines (@Riley Gaines) 1681001164
The 23-year-old added that she supports and welcomes peaceful protest, but the "ambush" that followed her speech was "the opposite of peaceful" and antithetical to dialogue.
Gaines appeared on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Friday, where she said, "I am worried about my safety. I have to be now, when we have people that are willing to do this."
According to Gaines, her attackers turned to physical and verbal violence because "they don't have reason. They don't have logic. They don't have science. They don't have common sense on their side."
Although safety is a concern, the star athlete stressed that she won't back down.
"This does not deter me. This assures me that I am doing the right thing. This will not silence me. When they want me to be silenced, it just means I need to speak louder."
Gaines vowed to take legal action, underscoring there will be "repercussions."
Gaines noted on Sunday that Moore had blocked her online, writing, "I guess it's easier for her to ignore me than to denounce violence against women. She won't be able to ignore my lawsuit."
A TPUSA spokesman told Fox News Digital that the mob was "organized by SFSU's Queer and Trans Resource Center."
Riley Gaines to Tucker: This does not deter me, this does not silence me youtu.be
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