"Now is the time for people to be bold… It’s my hope that people don’t turn their back, stick their head in the sand, or expect somebody else to solve it. No, you have to be part of the solution.”
Kelly qualified for the U.S. National Gymnastics Team at age 11, scored the first “Perfect 10” in NCAA Women’s gymnastics, and has three gymnastics skills on the balance beam named “The Garrison” after her. She was Team Captain of the 1988 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team, finishing 4th place in Seoul, Korea.
"If I were to step on the mat and face a boy, I wouldn’t go through with the fight. It would be too dangerous for me and could lead to serious injury, so I would have to forfeit.”
New to the XX-XY Athletics roster is Texas native Jaycee Bassett, age 17, a decorated international Taekwondo athlete. Bassett is currently a Junior and Senior National Team member of Costa Rica and a 2x member of the Junior AAU USA National Team. Bassett will compete in the Pan American Championship to be held in Mexico followed by the Junior World Championship in Chuncheon, Korea, working towards the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“Being brave doesn’t mean not having fear, but rather overcoming that fear to do the right, just and moral thing.”
Perhaps no other female athlete has demonstrated more bravery than Riley Gaines, who made waves after speaking out after tying University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas, a biological male swimmer. When no one else spoke up, Riley did. And she has been tirelessly standing up for the protection of women’s sports and spaces ever since. Inarguably, her advocacy has made her an icon for women’s rights and the face of the movement.
“The more voices we have, the harder it’s going to be to shut us down.”
Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, Paula Scanlan, was shamed after admitting she felt unsafe sharing a locker room with biological male, Lia Thomas, who joined the UPenn women’s swim team mid-season. Yet rather than slink away and hide, she found her voice and began standing up for women's safety. As a survivor of sexual assault that occurred in a bathroom at 16, this issue is truly personal for Paula. Today, she has become one of the most powerful advocates for protecting women's spaces.
“I believe in speaking wrong at the right time.”
Adam is an Author, Op-Ed Writer, Public Speaker, and the Founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. He’s known for asking uncomfortable questions and writes openly about his struggles with fatherlessness, homelessness, and masculinity. Adam is attempting to help change the way we discuss cultural narratives by being honest, humble and resolute. He believes everyone should have the ability to speak freely and advocates for people who feel voiceless to be heard.
“It’s not nice or kind, to help someone further sink into delusions. It’s not nice or kind to not be able to ask a question.”
A lifelong educator, Lee gained national attention when she spoke out against misguided DEI policies that have chilled speech and have led to increased antisemitism on campuses across America. She is a staunch believer in the power of critical thinking and true inclusion - as in, encouraging people with different opinions to come together to learn from each other. As Lee says, “We need diversity of viewpoints to learn from each other. We need less protesting and more dialogue”.
“I think if you just live your whole life refusing to speak the truth, by the end of it you’ll be filled with regret for not standing up.”
Detransitioner, Chloe Cole, is a brave advocate for the rights of children to grow up with their bodies fully intact. She speaks with authority on the issue of “gender-affirming” care for minors, having embarked on her own transition journey at the age of 12, only to then detransition at 16. Today, via her advocacy, Chloe is successfully changing the national conversation on this controversial issue. She says that speaking the truth, while hard, has given her life true purpose.
