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Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer, says she was assaulted during an appearance at San Francisco State University, where she spoke against allowing transgender women to compete on women's teams, CNN reported.
“I was physically assaulted by one person. I was struck twice, both times hitting my shoulder with the second strike grazing my face,” Gaines said. “The rest of the protesters just ambushed and cornered me before I was able to move out with the help of campus police.”
A video shows her walking after the speech, trailed by protesting students shouting, “Trans rights are human rights.”
“We are conducting an ongoing investigation into the situation. There were no arrests related to the event,” the university police department said in a statement. “The disruption occurred after the conclusion of the event which made it necessary for [police] officers to move the event speaker from the room to a different, safe location.”
PEN America, a literary and free expression advocacy organization, called the incident a “disaster.”
“Physical intimidation or violence is never an acceptable response to speech, no matter how hateful or controversial that speech may be,” said Kristen Shahverdian, PEN America’s senior manager in free expression and education.
