What began as a comment about a high school softball team erupted into a national fight over gender, fairness and who gets to speak for women.

"I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition," Biles said in a post on X.

Gaines — a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky — became a public figure in 2022, when she argued against the inclusion of transgender women participating in women's sports after she tied for fifth with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at a meet.