Riley Gaines — Swimming Against the Current

Swimming Against the Current: Fighting for Common Sense in a World That's Lost Its Mind is a book by American former swimmer Riley Gaines. It was published on May 21, 2024, by Center Street, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, and runs to 288 pages.

What it is about

Gaines swam for the University of Kentucky. At the 2022 U.S. collegiate championships, she finished tied in the 200-yard freestyle with Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who had previously competed in the men's category. In her book, Gaines describes that race, the shared locker room, and her decision to speak out publicly afterward. She argues that women's competitions should be open only to athletes who were born female and recounts her appearances at universities and in politics.

Reception and criticism

Gaines has become a prominent voice in the American debate over sports and gender and works with conservative organizations and politicians. Inclusion advocates accuse her of stigmatizing transgender athletes and making the debate more divisive. The book is a personal and outspoken argument, not a neutral analysis. More context is available under society and policy by country.

The author

Riley Gaines was born on April 21, 2000, in Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2022 with a degree in health sciences. As a swimmer, she earned All-American honors twelve times and won five Southeastern Conference titles. She qualified twice for the U.S. Olympic trials. In 2022, she was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's swimming by her conference.

The 2022 race

The championships took place in March 2022. Gaines and Thomas shared fifth place. Because there was only one trophy for that position, Gaines was given the sixth-place trophy at the awards ceremony, and her own trophy was sent to her later. That moment plays a major role in her story.

What happened afterward

In April 2023, Gaines spoke at San Francisco State University. Afterward, she had to shelter in a room for three hours during a protest. In June 2023, she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. In March 2024, she was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over the participation of transgender athletes. Information about that case is available from ICONS, the Independent Council on Women's Sports. On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states may exclude transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports; see the news report on that ruling. She is an adviser to the Independent Women's Forum, hosts the podcast Gaines for Girls, and has led the Leadership Institute's Riley Gaines Center since August 2024. The publisher's page features endorsements from, among others, Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, Tulsi Gabbard, and Caitlyn Jenner, making the book's political positioning clear. A broader discussion of the subject can be found in the article on gender and sport.