Text of TN HJR 33 (2025)

<BillNo> <Sponsor> HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 33 By Garrett HJR0033 001538 - 1 - A RESOLUTION to honor and commend Riley Gaines of Sumner County. WHEREAS, it is appropriate that we honor Riley Gaines, a champion swimmer from Sumner County and a former member of the University of Kentucky Women's swim team, for her achievements in women's swimming and commend her for the courageous exercise of her First Amendment right to speak openly regarding women in sports; and WHEREAS, Ms. Gaines attended Station Camp High School in Gallatin, and as a junior, she won the 100-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle in the TISCA High School Swim and Dive Championship in Knoxville in 2017; and WHEREAS, she joined the University of Kentucky's swim team and made the All- SEC Freshman Team in 2019 and the All-SEC Second Team in 2019 and 2020. She participated in the 2021 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, coming in second in the 4 x 200m-freestyle relay and seventh in the 200m-freestyle race, and earned All-SEC First Team honors that same year; and WHEREAS, in 2022, Ms. Gaines placed fifth while swimming for the University of Kentucky in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship, tying with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who was the first openly transgender woman champion in the NCAA to compete in the women's division; and WHEREAS, Riley Gaines campaigns against the inclusion of men in the women's division of sports, including lobbying her state representatives to pass a law that would - 2 - 001538 prohibit transgender individuals from women's sports. As part of her campaign, she participated in protesting the January 2023 NCAA Convention to encourage the NCAA to enact rules protecting women's sports, and at risk to her personal safety, she has spoken at political and other public events in support of keeping women's sports for women; and WHEREAS, Ms. Gaines made a national and global impact by taking a courageous stand by publicly speaking about her beliefs that only women should be competing in women's sports; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Riley Gaines of Sumner County, a true winner, for expressing her beliefs within the boundaries of her First Amendment constitutionally protected rights, appreciate her leadership, and look forward to learning of her future accomplishments. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear without House or Senate designation.