Riley Gaines blasted WNBA star Brittney Griner for “demeaning” women in recent comments she made supporting transgender athletes.

When asked about state-level legislation looking to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports of the gender they identify as, Griner called it “a crime” to “separate someone for any reason.”

Griner

“That ranks high on the list of things I’ll be fighting for and speaking up against,” Griner said on Thursday during her first media appearance ahead of the 2023 WNBA season. “Everyone deserves the right to play. Everyone deserves the right to come here, sit in these seats, and feel safe.”

“I think it’s a crime honestly to separate someone for any reason. So, I definitely will be speaking up against that legislation and those laws that are trying to be passed, for sure,” the Phoenix Mercury star added.

Gaines, a former NCAA championship swimmer turned women’s sports advocate, took to Twitter on Sunday to respond.

“Which NBA team would have @brittneygriner since apparently the overwhelming, obvious differences between men and women should simply be overlooked? Heartbreaking to see athletically successful women take this demeaning stance,” Gaines tweeted.

In April, the Kansas legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto and banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

The House of Representatives also passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act last week. The legislation would prevent biological males from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

Riley Gaines

In addition to blasting Griner for demeaning women, Gaines also chided the WNBA star about her use of the word “crime.”

“And if we’re going to talk about crimes, Brittney…” Gaines noted in her tweet, referencing Griner’s arrest while traveling in Russia last year.

Griner pleaded guilty to a drug charge after being arrested on Feb. 17, 2022, for transporting cannabis oil in her bag, which is illegal in Russia. After spending 10 months in a Russian prison, Griner was released in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.