Who Is Swimmer and Anti-Transgender Sports Activist Riley Gaines Married To?

Swimmer Riley Gaines is best known for her success as an NCAA athlete, and she has now entered the arena of political commentating. She has famously opposed transgender women competing in women's sports and has joined a long line of conservative activists in trying to ban them from competition.

Riley Gaines's personal life includes friendships with multiple high-profile conservative political figures and a dogged determination to make her point heard about transgender athletes. She's also married, but there's a little hitch in her marital bliss. Here's what we know about her husband and the issue she claims is keeping them from "happily ever after."

Riley Gaines actually goes by Riley Gaines Barker these days after tying the knot with former English swimmer and businessman, Louis Barker.

In stark contrast to his wife, who is open and frequently speaking in the media about her personal beliefs and feelings, Louis is fairly low-key and doesn't often discuss his private life. Although he was born in England, Louis went to the University of Kentucky for college.

That's where he met Riley, and they were drawn together by their mutual passion for swimming. Louis studied health services, while Riley pursued a degree in advocacy. They started dating in 2019, and Louis popped the question in 2021. They married in a private ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in 2022.

Unfortunately for the happy couple, there's one little hitch in their happy ending: a green card. In a recent video shared on social media, Riley complained that her husband was unable to get his green card due to a reason that she scoffed at. According to Riley, he doesn't have his COVID-19 vaccine. She explained, "Yes you heard that right. In the year 2024, you have to have the under-researched, ineffective COVID vaccine to enter into this country legally."

Riley added, "Notice I said legally because our government does not require illegal immigrants to have the COVID vaccine." She told fans, "Really think about that. Think about how hard our government has made it for people migrating into this country legally in comparison to those who break the law. Because if you just walk across the southern border, you're given housing, a driver's license, money."

She continued, "Even still, it's a decision my husband would make 10 days out of 10. What good is a green card with compromised health? When this craziness inevitably ends, because it will, my husband will become a citizen and have a functioning immune system. It's a win-win."

Riley's stance on the vaccine and immigration, as well as her anti-transgender agenda, has earned her the interest and support of X (formerly known as Twitter) user Elon Musk, who shared her video to his X account in support. Whether or not Elon, who is himself an immigrant, will be able to help Riley and Louis in the future remains to be seen.