College president defends activist Riley Gaines being commencement speaker: Students should be 'challenged'

Adrian College president defended selecting activist and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines as a commencement speaker, according to a report.

Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking told Fox News Digital why he defended selecting activist and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines as a commencement speaker amid backlash from both alumni and students.

"I think that higher-ed leaders need to hold strong right now and not cave in to people that want to crush free inquiry," Docking told Fox News Digital.

Gaines, the host of Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines and a former Division I athlete who competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, gave the commencement at Adrian College in Michigan on Sunday. 

Gaines, a fierce critic of trans-athletes participating in women’s sports, sparked backlash from both the student body and alumni when they discovered her being billed to speak at their graduation ceremony. 

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Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines is sworn in during a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Considering the large athlete demographic at Adrian, Docking told Fox News Digital that the issue of trans-athletes in sports is "pertinent" to Adrian College and that the school "believes strongly in Title IX" and respects the work that women put into sports.

"To think that those women either here or anywhere else could be subjected to coming out for the first day on the team and being told you don't have a spot on this team … two or three trans athletes are taking your spot because they're bigger, stronger,