Portland police arrested five people during protests against Riley Gaines, an outspoken opponent of trans athletes competing in women’s sports, at Portland State University on Monday, May 6.

The five were charged with crimes including harassment, disorderly conduct in the second degree, and criminal mischief in the second and third degrees. Only two were PSU students.

Gaines was a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky who tied for fifth place against a trans athlete who had previously competed as a man at the national championships in 2022. She is among more than a dozen female athletes suing the NCAA over its transgender policies.

Gaines spoke at PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union as part of a nationwide tour in support of the Trump Administration’s Title IX policies that require school athletes to compete only against those of the same biological sex.

According to PSU, Gaine’s ticketed 7 p.m. appearance was organized by a non-university organization, the Leadership Institute, assisted by some students. Several university-affiliated student groups staged peaceful protests outside the student union beginning at 6:30 p.m.

PSU said a smaller group gathered at the hall’s Southwest Broadway entrance as the evening went on, graffitied the building’s glass doors, and attempted to open the locked doors. Police who had been monitoring the protests moved in, some dressed in riot gear, and confrontations ensured.

PSU spokesperson Katy Swordfisk explained Gaine’s appearance on campus by saying, “PSU is a public institution that supports free speech and free expression, even when the views expressed run counter to the beliefs and values held by many individuals in our community.”

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a news partner of the Portland Tribune. Their full story can be found at opb.org.