- Swimmer Riley Gaines and professional surfer Bethany Hamilton were at Brave Books Story Hour in Missouri on Friday
- Both women have spoken out about their concerns over trans women’s inclusion in the female categories of their respective sports
- Activist draped in a transgender pride flag was seen holding a shark cuddly toy in an apparent mockery of Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a shark attack
Trans activists gatecrashed a Missouri event held by former swimmer Riley Gaines and surfer Bethany Hamilton on Friday.
The event, Brave Books Story Hour celebrating female athletes, saw trans activists disperse throughout the crowd and heckle the speakers.
One activist, draped in a transgender pride flag, was seen holding a shark cuddly toy in an apparent mockery of Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a shark attack when she was a teenager.
‘How messed up is this? This protester brought a shark stuffed animal to mock Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm to a shark’ Gaines wrote on X after the event.
‘Miserable, insufferable people. But oh so ‘tolerant” she added.
Both Gaines, 23, and Hamilton, 33, have spoken out about their concerns that women’s sports are being compromised by allowing transgender women to compete in female categories.
The pair attended the event hosted by BRAVE books in Springfield to read extracts from their books and discuss their struggles and triumphs at the top of women’s sports.
Hamilton read from her book Surfing Past Fear which details her journey from surviving a 2003 shark attack while surfing to returning to the water to become one of the world’s most famous professional surfers.
Hawaii-born Hamilton announced last year she would be boycotting all World Surf League (WSL) events following its controversial decision to allow transgender women to compete in the female category.
‘Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period’ the mother-of-four wrote on X recently.
‘I’m so grateful for the people of Missouri who came out to the story hour’ Gaines, a former Kentucky University swimmer shot to prominence after openly critiquing the inclusion of trans woman Lia Thomas by the NCAA, said.
‘The presence of a group of confused people dressed as a shark and clothed in pride did nothing to stop hundreds of families and young girls from taking in messages of truth and faith at our BRAVE Books story hour.’
‘We’ve seen activists at almost every one of our story hours’ BRAVE Books CEO Trent Talbot told the Washington Examiner.
‘Sometimes they’re noisy, sometimes they’re dressed in drag, but these were downright nasty’ he recalled.
Adding: ‘The activist who showed up dressed as a shark to target Bethany Hamilton is a terrible person.
‘Once again, those who claim they are most tolerant turn out to be the most callous.’
Hamilton was recently dropped by surfing brand Rip Curl, reportedly over her opposition to transgender people competing in women’s sport.
The brand then moved to using a transgender surfer in promotion on their social media accounts.
Professional longboarder and transgender woman Sasha Lowerson, 44, featured on the Rip Curl Women Instagram page as part of the company’s Meet The Local Heroes of Western Australia campaign.
The brand has since tried to scrub any trace of the promotion following backlash and calls for a boycott.
‘This concerns me as a professional athlete that has been competing in the World Surf League events for the past 15 plus years’ Hamilton previously wrote on Instagram.
‘I feel that I must speak up and stand up for those in a position that may feel like they cannot say something about this.’
She said she believes trans athletes ought to have a separate division so they have a ‘fair opportunity to showcase their passion and talent.’
Earlier this month, protestors hoping to ‘save women’s sports’ said they were rallying outside the NCAA’s annual convention to demand an end to transgender athletes competing in female events.
The rally included Gaines and former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan – a teammate of trans athlete Lia Thomas – as well as many parents, students and activists from both conservative and ‘liberal feminist’ organizations.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Scanlan said she and her allies are fighting for dignity in their chosen sports.
‘As a survivor of sexual assault, I was forced to undress in front of a man every day before getting in the pool at Penn,’ she said. ‘The NCAA sponsored this repeat trauma through its failure to recognize women’s sports. We beg the NCAA to give women our dignity back.’
The topic has divided the U.S. in recent years, with critics claiming transgender athletes have an unfair advantage over women in competition. At least 23 states have passed laws to protect women’s sports.
