WEBVTT - Gender Bending Madness: Riley Gaines Talks To A&G

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<v Speaker 1>I've also got this opinion piece in the New York Times.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem with saying sex assigned at birth, that is,

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<v Speaker 1>I think unintentionally hilarious. A lot of this stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>hilarious until you consider how far it's gone to wit.

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<v Speaker 1>What a pleasure this is to talk to Riley Gaines in.

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<v Speaker 1>Unless you were a college swimmer, you probably didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>her name or a fan of college swimming until fairly recently.

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<v Speaker 1>But Riley has been crusading bravely, and I won't put

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<v Speaker 1>words in her mouth but for the simple proposition that

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<v Speaker 1>women's sports are for women and women's private spaces are

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<v Speaker 1>for women period. Riley is the director of the Riley

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<v Speaker 1>gains Center at the Leadership Institute and joins us.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, Riley, how are you.

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<v Speaker 3>I am doing great, and let me tell you you

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<v Speaker 3>are always allowed to put those words in my mouth,

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<v Speaker 3>because that is exactly what I'm doing.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, excellent. We are big fans of yours and admire

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<v Speaker 2>your courage very much. For folks not familiar with this,

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<v Speaker 2>before we get to the basics of what you're espousing,

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<v Speaker 2>how tough has it been for you personally to stand

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<v Speaker 2>up and say women's sports are for women?

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<v Speaker 3>You know what, when I first took that initial public

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<v Speaker 3>fand after of course competing at the national Championships against

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<v Speaker 3>Leah Thomas, who's formerly Will Thomas, who swam three years

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<v Speaker 3>on the men's team at you Penn before deciding to

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<v Speaker 3>switch to the women's team. After seeing all of that firsthand,

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<v Speaker 3>after going through sensitivity training and social justice circles and

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<v Speaker 3>all the different things, I was terrified. But I could

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<v Speaker 3>not have been more naive to how easy it really

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<v Speaker 3>is to say something so simple. Again, all I'm saying

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<v Speaker 3>is that there are two sexes. You can't change your sex,

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<v Speaker 3>and each sex is deserving an equal opportunity, privacy and safety.

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<v Speaker 3>It's wild that that we live in a time where

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<v Speaker 3>that now requires bravery to say that, But it's easy

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<v Speaker 3>saying it for me.

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<v Speaker 4>Now it's a hill. I'm willing time.

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<v Speaker 1>So when you how many times did you swim against

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<v Speaker 1>Leah Thomas, the most famous trends athlete too, that once.

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<v Speaker 4>Against him at that one national championships. Okay, as I

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<v Speaker 4>mentioned competed.

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<v Speaker 1>What was what was it like in the pool of

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<v Speaker 1>the crowd that day? I mean, were was everybody just

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<v Speaker 1>like ignoring the elephant in the room or were people

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<v Speaker 1>talking about it.

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<v Speaker 3>It was weird going into the meet, almost ashamedly, I

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<v Speaker 3>felt intrigued. I had a lot of questions myself and

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<v Speaker 3>my teammates that that we wanted answered, right, like what

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<v Speaker 3>is the locker room going to look like?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 3>Is he as tall as he seems on Instagram compared

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<v Speaker 3>to his teammates. But upon arriving to that meet and

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<v Speaker 3>of course having these questions answered, like I said, I

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<v Speaker 3>felt ashamed for feeling intrigued, and those feelings of intriguement

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<v Speaker 3>and almost like this, this big circus were we were

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<v Speaker 3>a part of those feelings shifted the heartbreak. I mean,

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<v Speaker 3>I felt like competing against them. I was going into

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<v Speaker 3>the race with my hands tied behind my back.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you don't have anything to apologize for, I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>for gonna sake. You were a young college woman, and

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<v Speaker 2>I don't blame you for thinking, Wow, what the hell

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<v Speaker 2>is going to happen? But you were forced to share

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<v Speaker 2>the locker room, or at least Leah Thomas's teammates were

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<v Speaker 2>for a very long time with a six foot four

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<v Speaker 2>inch man, fully intact genitals on display, and you were

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<v Speaker 2>being required to look at that human and say, that's

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<v Speaker 2>a woman.

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<v Speaker 3>Not only that, but when we objected to this, we

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<v Speaker 3>were told we were the problem.

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<v Speaker 4>Right. We were told that we were.

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<v Speaker 3>The ones who should oologize and if we didn't see

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<v Speaker 3>this as a woman, then ultimately it was us who

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<v Speaker 3>are who are the biggest, and we should face the repercussions.

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<v Speaker 3>Thomas's teammates who objected to this, Granted they keep in mind,

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<v Speaker 3>yes I a dressed with him and that at that

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<v Speaker 3>national championship, but his teammates did eighteen times every single week.

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<v Speaker 3>And when they objected to this and sit an email

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<v Speaker 3>to their administration, you pan, I swear to you I

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<v Speaker 3>have a screenshot of the response.

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<v Speaker 4>You' penn responded back with if you.

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<v Speaker 3>Feel uncomfortable seeing managing to tell you, here are some

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<v Speaker 3>counseling resources that you speak in an attempt to re

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<v Speaker 3>educate yourselves.

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<v Speaker 1>Wow, how did that happen a couple of years after

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<v Speaker 1>Me Too? Where if a guy asked a girl out

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<v Speaker 1>on a date at work, you were Harvey Weinstein.

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<v Speaker 3>That's so crazy, I know it.

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<v Speaker 4>And now these same people who advocated for the.

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<v Speaker 3>Me Too movement, who claimed to champion and pride themselves

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<v Speaker 3>on championing women's rights it's those same people who are

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<v Speaker 3>spearheading this movement to really dismantle our rights as.

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<v Speaker 2>Women, well as the father of a couple of daughters

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<v Speaker 2>and a youth sports coach who coached girls. I remember

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<v Speaker 2>in boys. I remember remarking on the show years and

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<v Speaker 2>years ago, as I was head coach for a boys

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<v Speaker 2>soccer team and assisting with my daughter's soccer team, the

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<v Speaker 2>speed and violence of the boys at the same age

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<v Speaker 2>was shocking compared to the girls. If the girls exit

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<v Speaker 2>deadly knocked each other down, they would say, oh my god,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sorry and pick up their opponent off the turf. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 2>the guys are bleeding from the head and covered with

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<v Speaker 2>mud and loving it. The idea that oh, no, no,

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<v Speaker 2>now that male says she's a female is the sort

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<v Speaker 2>of absurdity Voltaire talked about when he said, those who

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<v Speaker 2>can make us believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

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<v Speaker 2>But anyway, so Riley Gaines, you've got your Riley gain

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<v Speaker 2>Center at the Leadership Institute. What are the main things

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<v Speaker 2>you're trying to accomplish? What are the basic principles?

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<v Speaker 3>The main thing we're trying to accomplish through the center

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<v Speaker 3>is it's a training program to help train and develop

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<v Speaker 3>and equip and empower leaders, whether that's leaders at the

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<v Speaker 3>national level, the community level of course, within school boards,

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<v Speaker 3>college teams, college athletes, whatever it might be. We need

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<v Speaker 3>more leaders. I believe that's why our suffering. I have

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<v Speaker 3>also been and speaking on several different college campuses through

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<v Speaker 3>the Center.

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<v Speaker 4>Which has been a big push of mine.

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<v Speaker 3>To really help engage the youth people who are my age,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, being a recent college graduate myself, I understand.

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<v Speaker 4>I understand how how hard it is.

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<v Speaker 3>You're essentially equated to a criminal if you say you're

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<v Speaker 3>a conservative on college cases.

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<v Speaker 4>Not that this issue.

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<v Speaker 3>Should be part of it or should fall along party

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<v Speaker 3>lines in the way that ultimately it has, at least

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<v Speaker 3>in terms of how our elected officials are responding and

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<v Speaker 3>how the media portrays this issue.

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<v Speaker 4>But we need more truth speakers, truth.

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<v Speaker 3>Speakers, So that's what speaking on these college campuses, that's

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<v Speaker 3>the goal there.

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<v Speaker 2>Riley Gaines is going to be speaking at You See

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<v Speaker 2>Berkeley not far from the Radio Ranch tomorrow, that's April

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<v Speaker 2>the fourth, at six point thirty, as part of her

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<v Speaker 2>Reclaim Feminism campus tour. Was it you See Berkeley that

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<v Speaker 2>you ran into like violent opposition or like last year

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<v Speaker 2>was it?

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, you're exactly right, almost exactly a year ago. It

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<v Speaker 3>was at San Francisco State University. I was met with vitriol,

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<v Speaker 3>I was met with violence, I was met with, of course, hatefulness.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's so comical, like you, like you mentioned in

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<v Speaker 3>the intro here, it would be comical. This is the

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<v Speaker 3>same crowd who claims to be tall and who claims

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<v Speaker 3>to be inclusive and welcoming and accepting. But that is

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<v Speaker 3>not what I faced at San Francisco, and oftentimes not

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<v Speaker 3>what I faced around the country. This is the least

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<v Speaker 3>tolerant group you could possibly imagine. But nonetheless, this is

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<v Speaker 3>who needs to hear the message. It's no good preaching

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<v Speaker 3>to the choir all the time. So I'm excited to

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<v Speaker 3>be in the Bay Area. I'm excited to be at

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<v Speaker 3>u C. Berkeley, and I'm I'm now, given my experience

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<v Speaker 3>last year in San Francisco, I am more than prepared

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<v Speaker 3>for what could possibly and most certainly probably will you.

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<v Speaker 1>Got the yeah, probably, will you got the proper security?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, so you're you're prepared for it to be ugly?

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<v Speaker 3>Possibly, Yes, sir, Unfortunately that's the way it has to go.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, probably actual guys, like big guys with penises that

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<v Speaker 1>are going to protect you. Oh that kind of guy,

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<v Speaker 1>that kind of guy. That's the kind of guy I'm

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<v Speaker 1>talking about you.

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<v Speaker 4>Wow.

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<v Speaker 2>And if anybody who's working your favorite one guy now

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<v Speaker 2>Riley is a good and decent and reasonable person. I

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<v Speaker 2>Joe Getty, on the other hand, have fully empowered anybody

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<v Speaker 2>working security for Riley's event to whoop as much ass

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<v Speaker 2>as you need to to keep her one hundred percent safety.

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<v Speaker 2>These people are lunatics. Riley. The point you made about,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, welcomeness and inclusion, that is such a lie.

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<v Speaker 2>It's like the whole diversity thing that doesn't mean diversity,

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<v Speaker 2>that means the people I want. The minute it's the

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<v Speaker 2>people I don't want. Suddenly diversity isn't important at all,

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<v Speaker 2>or welcomness or inclusion or whatever the hell else. So

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<v Speaker 2>we are going to have a link at Armstrong in

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<v Speaker 2>getty dot com so folks can access the Riley Gains Center,

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<v Speaker 2>particularly parents of young women, and not just athletes either.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, because y'all are talking about not only sports

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<v Speaker 2>and locker rooms, but women's faces, women's prisons, and bathrooms

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<v Speaker 2>and that sort of thing as well.

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<v Speaker 4>Right, of course, of course we are.

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<v Speaker 3>You're exactly right in saying an extends far beyond just

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<v Speaker 3>women's sports.

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<v Speaker 2>Riley Gaines, you're a hero of ours. We appreciate your

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<v Speaker 2>time and your efforts very much. Keep up the good

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<v Speaker 2>fight and let us know how we can help. We

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<v Speaker 2>mean that seriously, of course.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I thank you guys so much and appreciate you

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<v Speaker 3>for what you do.

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<v Speaker 4>So thank you Armstrong.

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<v Speaker 1>Andy