Former champion college swimmer Riley Gaines blasted sportswear giant NIKE for hiring controversial transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney to sell sports bras, calling the move a “mockery” of women.
Gaines, who has become a leading advocate to save women’s sports from the influence of transgender athletes, told the Daily Mail that NIKE’s contract with Mulvaney is an attack on real women.
“Nike joins the growing list of companies who find it acceptable disrespect women by making a sad mockery of what being a woman entails,” Gaines said.
“The message Nike sends to all girls and women is that men can do everything better,” she added.
Meet NIKE WOMEN’S Newest Ambassador…a biological man.
Dylan Mulvaney is now being paid Ὃby Nike Women to promote sports bras- even though he’s a man!
Another day, another company slapping all women in the face by mocking them and paying a man to take their place! #nike… pic.twitter.com/XK33HJYo63
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 5, 2023
Gaines also said that she has stopped using NIKE gear and will be “buying from Athleta from now on.”
Gaines is not the only female athlete to slam NIKE for the Mulvaney contract. Olympic gold medal swimmer Nancy Hogshead has also spoken out and said that NIKE is devaluing real women.
“They are selling their products by erasing women. They are taking the place of women. There are plenty of women – phenomenal athletes, great spokespeople, really smart, hardworking – so many people that they could have had. It’s a male takeover,” Hogshead told the Mail.
“Having these big companies is like yet another layer of coming into women’s spaces. It’s another layer of trying to define what a woman is without talking to women, without talking to females,” Hogshead added.
NIKE reportedly doled out a lucrative endorsement deal to the trans activist, Biden supporter, and TikTok star on Wednesday when Mulvaney was seen on his social media modeling a NIKE sports bra and leggings.
The NIKE deal came only days after Mulvaney revealed he was working with Bud Light as part of beer owner Anheuser-Busch’s March Madness campaign.
Both advertising campaigns have given rise to Bud Light and NIKE product boycotts.
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