Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News

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Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who has risen to prominence of late for her efforts to prevent transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, required police intervention as she tried to leave a Turning Point USA speaking engagement at San Francisco State University Thursday night. 

Video captured of the episode shows Gaines unequivocally being prevented from leaving by activists, some of whom demanded money in exchange for her safe passage. 

Gaines later told her Twitter followers that she had been physically attacked as she tried to exit and shared a video she captured while seeking safety. 

“The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU…I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man,” Gaines tweeted. “This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces. Still only further assures me I’m doing something right. When they want you silent, speak louder.”

Gaines’ agent, Eli Bremer, told Fox News that Gaines had been prevented from leaving for upward of three hours. 

“Riley Gaines, the leading defender of women’s rights in America, was physically assaulted last night at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The violent mob effectively held her hostage for three hours with no apparent action by the university to end the assault,” Bremer said. 

As of this writing, the San Francisco State University Police Department was still investigating the matter, but no one has yet been arrested. 

“We are conducting an ongoing investigation into the situation,” The SFSU PD said in a statement. ‘There were no arrests related to the event. The disruption occurred after the conclusion of the event, which made it necessary for UPD officers to move the event speaker from the room to a different, safe location.”

Response to the story was mixed. Conservatives were uniformly outraged and thousands of social media users, both prominent and everyday, rallied under the motto of “I Stand with Riley.” 

“This is kidnapping,” Conservative YouTuber Matt Walsh tweeted. “@Riley_Gaines_ should pursue felony charges against every single person in that hallway. They all should be expelled and thrown in prison. There is nothing ambiguous about this. Harassment, intimidation, kidnapping. Go after them, Riley. Make them pay.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) was another prominent figure to demand action from university officials. 

“San Francisco State University and law enforcement must take immediate action to hold those who assaulted @Riley_Gaines_  accountable,” Blackburn tweeted. “We will not allow the violent radical left mob to silence us.”

The response of the left-leaning media was a mix of indifference – few even covered the story – and disbelief. 

CNN, which not that long ago advocated for believing women when they share stories of abuse, reported that the video Gaines shared showed no evidence of assault. 

Newsweek focused primarily on the fact that video of Gaines’ post-speech experience was being widely shared on social media. 

But, not everyone was quite so dismissive. 

Sage Steele of ESPN was particularly strong in her support of Gaines and abhorrence of violence.  

“Are there any other women with public platforms willing to stand up for  @Riley_Gaines_ & the millions of female athletes??” Steele tweeted. “Or do we only stand up for those who fit certain narratives?? LADIES, WHERE ARE YOU? Media…Hollywood…hello?!?! We MUST come together on this!!”

SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly, formerly of Fox News and NBC, joined Steele in calls for a unified condemnation of the behavior of the SFSU students.

“These insane lunatics attacked @Riley_Gaines_ for speaking up about women’s rights. (Riley tied w/Lia Thomas – a man pretending to be a woman – in the NCAA competition.),” Kelly tweeted. “This is SICK and INFURIATING. They must be fought. They must be defeated.”

RHETORIC INTENSIFIED, VIOLENCE FOLLOWED

Gaines has become a favored target of transgender and progressive activists’ vitriol ever since she began speaking more loudly about her opposition to biological men participating in women’s sports. 

She has been particularly critical of swimmer Lia Thomas, who Gaines says stole a national title from women. 

Last month, she and Christian actor Kirk Cameron were treated rudely by staff at a Tennessee library, but Thursday marked a new and disturbing escalation. 

The GOP’s stance is that the violence was at least partially attributable to remarks made by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who on the same day Gaines was attacked stated that the Biden administration was proud of LGBTQ activists who have organized to protest numerous states enacting laws to restrict gender-affirming care. 

“LGBTQI+ kids are resilient. They are fierce. They fight back…We are so proud,” Jean-Pierre said. 

Conservatives argue the statement encouraged violence. 

“Yesterday, KJP said, ‘They fight back… We are so proud,’ Since then, violent protestors attacked @Riley_Gaines_ at a speech on protecting women’s sports in San Francisco,” a tweet on the GOP’s official account reads. “When will the White House condemn this violence?”

The short answer to the GOP’s question, at least as of this writing, is “later, if at all.” As of this writing, neither President Joe Biden nor Jean-Pierre has commented on the events at San Francisco State. 

While the GOP’s contention that Jean-Pierre deserves some blame for Thursday’s violence can be credibly debated, Gaines provided real-world evidence of Twitter users harassing her well before her speech. 

Despite the blowback she has faced, Gaines has remained committed to sharing her message. Friday, she took to Twitter to say that she has been encouraged by the support she has received. 

“I feel so supported by the influx of support and encouraging messages today,” Gaines tweeted. “Thank you to @TPUSAfor the event! If nothing else, I hope people have been eye opened to the threat women face when they dare speak out.”

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