How Riley Gaines became MAGA’s pathetic victim

Swimmer Riley Gaines has become MAGA’s latest hand-picked “victim” of trans athletes, despite her entire media career being built on a single moment: tying for fifth place against trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022. In this video, I break down why her tactics and unoriginal talking points resonate so deeply with the Christian right, and how her brand of trans panic looks less like scripture and more like a horror movie script. Joining me this episode is Stacy Lentz, LGBTQ rights activist, co-owner of the Stonewall Inn in New York and the CEO of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative Subscribe here on YouTube for more Standing Room Only, airing weekly Thursdays at 5 PM ET on YouTube. 🥳 Standing Room Only started as a newsletter. Join the party and get it in your inbox 2x a week by clicking here: https://www.salon.com/newsletter?utm_source=youtube-sro&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=newsletter-signup-ytsro 🤓 Read Amanda Marcotte's writing on Salon.com here: https://www.salon.com/writer/amanda_marcotte 👍 Follow Amanda on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandamarcotte.bsky.social ✌️ Support Salon’s mission—become a member: https://www.salon.com/premium?utm_source=youtube-sro&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=become-a-member-ytsro 🎵 Like our Encore segment? Follow the Standing Room Only Playlist on Spotify to hear the full songs and more recommendations from Amanda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xGJv3dQ8BPbO2gMw53dvB Riley Gaines, Lia Thomas, AOC, trans athletes, MAGA culture war, Christian right politics, anti trans rhetoric, trans rights debate, women’s sports controversy, culture wars 2025, conservative media grift, GOP culture war, trans panic, right wing influencers, sports and politics, equality in sports, trans inclusion, culture war commentary, political commentary channel, YouTube politics, progressive commentary, Stonewall Inn