Anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines returning to SF State Tuesday

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines will be returning to San Francisco State University Tuesday. Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, has appeared at SFSU twice before.

Memorably, a 2023 event resulted in a large protest that led to Gaines sheltering inside a classroom for several hours while police dispersed protesters. Gaines returned to SFSU last month for an event hosted by SFSU’s Turning Point USA chapter.

That event went off mostly without controversy, apart from a demonstration outside and a single protester being removed, according to SFSU’s Golden Gate Xpress bilingual student publication.

On Tuesday, Gaines will be back at SFSU accompanying right-wing political provocateur Charlie Kirk on his “The American Comeback Tour.” Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA and has been an outspoken supporter of the Trump administration.

According to Golden Gate Xpress, Gaines was a late addition to Tuesday’s event, which was originally going to feature Kirk on his own. Gaines was added to the bill per her own request, according to SFSU Turning Point USA chapter president, Takuma Sugawara.

“I’m not sure what her motives are behind it,” Sugawara told the student paper. “But it’s great to have her and Kirk on campus, so people can have those conversations and ask both of them questions.”

On Monday, five people were arrested on the Portland State University campus at an event Gaines was appearing at. Gaines’ appearance was not affiliated with the university, police told KRON4’s sister station KOIN.

Kirk, an avowed Christian-nationalist who has stated, “There is no separation of church and state,” was recently a guest on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast.