(KRON) -- An incident involving former Division 1 swimmer Riley Gaines at San Francisco State University has sparked controversy over whether or not the First Amendment was honored on campus. Gaines made a speech on behalf of Save Women's Sports, an organization that aims to keep trans women from competing in women's sports, and said she was verbally and physically attacked afterwards.
“I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man,” Gaines tweeted.
Gaines also posted video where students can be heard chanting, "Trans rights are human rights," at her as she makes her way down a hallway following the speech.
SFSU president Lynn Mahoney called the April 6 "disturbance" "deeply traumatic" for trans students on campus and insisted that the First Amendment right to free speech was honored on campus. Mahoney offered praise to those on campus who “rallied quickly to host alternative inclusive events, protest peacefully and provide one another with support at a difficult moment.” She also said she was proud that the First Amendment was honored on campus.
First Amendment advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to the school Tuesday in the wake of the incident accusing the school of caving to "mob censorship."
"FIRE is seriously concerned by SFSU’s failure to address the anti-free speech actions of some protestors at last week’s Turning Point USA event that featured NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines speaking on women’s sports and transgender athletes," the letter stated. "It is alarming that this level of mob censorship and pugnacity occurred on a campus bound to respect students’ constitutional right to free expression."
The group said school administrators should have done more to curb the protestors during the speech, which they considered an unconstitutional "heckler's veto."
"We urge SFSU to educate its students on the distinction between protected protest and
disruptive conduct that prevents others from exercising their own expressive rights," FIRE said in the letter.
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Since her appearance at SFSU, Gaines has appeared on Fox News discussing the incident and saying she will be pursuing legal action.
FIRE has requested response from SFSU by April 18.
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