Conservative activist Riley Gaines said on Saturday that “transgenderism,” “sexual liberation,” and abortion have “nothing” to do with women’s rights, issuing a warning about a “dangerous” feminist movement in the country.
Gaines, a former NCAA championship swimmer-turned-women’s sports advocate, argued women have been lied to for decades about these issues through “propaganda” at day three of Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, the conservative organization’s annual conference.
“Calling these movements ‘feminism’ is not only inaccurate but it’s dangerous, destructive,” she said. “Feminism promised empowerment. But you know what it delivered? It delivered emptiness.”
Gaines said the feminist movement “sold” women “lies” about motherhood.
“It sold women the lie that children are burdens, that family is a limitation and that fulfillment comes from self-centered autonomy rather than self-giving love,” she said.
Gaines also recounted the late Charlie Kirk’s messaging about family and parenthood. Gaines said it resonated “deeply” and “personally” with her.
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Through his various college campus visits, Kirk advocated for men and women to get married and have children early on in a marriage.
“I believe it was effective because he lived it,” Gaines said. “It was clear to him that family was the happiest and most meaningful part of his life.”
Gaines also praised President Donald Trump, saying he’s made it “easier” for families to “thrive,” while touting him as the “most pro-life president in history.”
She highlighted the Trump administration’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood, which was included in a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Gaines said both Kirk and Trump created a culture that supports women “before, during, and after motherhood.” She criticized those who accused Kirk of being a “misogynist,” highlighting Turning Point’s six-month maternity leave.
“That accusation is of course false, honestly, it’s lazy,” she said. “If you could get yourself to look past the out-of-context five-second clip or the out-of-context headline you’d know that.”
“Charlie Kirk was the worst misogynist ever,” Gaines added.
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Gaines also lauded Trump for doing more to protect women’s safety, privacy, and equal rights than “any president certainly in modern history.”
“If [the Trump administration’s] goal was to erase women’s rights — as the Left claims — then they’ve done a pretty horrible job,” she said.