One Michigan lawmaker is bringing a former NCAA swimmer who has criticized transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Washington ― Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate will attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday as a guest of freshman U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Detroit, the congressman’s office said.
Thanedar, a former state lawmaker, invited Tate ― the first Black lawmaker elected as Michigan House speaker ― to «exemplify the progress» of Democrats and the priorities that Tate brings to a legislative term in which Democrats control the majority in Lansing for the first time in over 10 years, he said.
«His policy priorities include uplifting Michigan families; protecting the rights of all people; ensuring workers are valued; and investing in a world-class education system, a strong infrastructure, and a thriving economy,» Thanedar said in a statement.
“The State of the Union Address will highlight the achievements that House Democrats and President Biden have delivered over the past two years and the work that Democrats are doing to defend our American values from extreme MAGA Republicans.»
Also attending the speech as a guest of Michigan lawmakers will be former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who has criticized transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, including NCAA contests.
Gaines, 22, of Nashville will be the guest of Republican U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, who met Gaines last week when both participated in a Capitol Hill event put on by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California to mark National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
«Riley Gaines is a courageous and inspirational woman that dared to speak out against the tyranny of wokeism,” McClain said in a statement. “She has stood up for women’s rights and the protection of fair and equal playing fields in sports, even though she was hounded in the media.»
Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer, competed in last year’s NCAA swimming and diving championships against University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas, who became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national championship.
