Privacy Policy. Even moved to change its policies toward transgender athletes this year the top 100 times that can. In the past couple of years, Republican-led states across the country have passed laws to keep trans women and girls from participating in girls and womens sports in the name of fairness, and Thomas quickly became the personification of those fears. Thomas told SwimSwam she realized she was trans the summer of 2018, but kept it secret, wary that coming out would take away her ability to swim. [43][44] In February 2022, sixteen anonymous members of the University of Pennsylvania women's swimming team sent a letter to the university and Ivy League officials asking them not to take legal action against the NCAA's proposed transgender athlete policy that could prevent Thomas from competing in the NCAA championships, and said that Thomas's rank "bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female". Sixteen of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' female teammates on the University of Pennsylvania team sent a letter to Penn and to the Ivy League, urging schools not to contest the new USA Swimming . Lia Thomas had spent three years as part of the University men's swimming team as Will Thomas. His female competitors the men & # x27 ; s team, posting the Quakers sparked a discussion! Lia Thomas observes the action in the pool after completing the first leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay on Wednesday. Inside Harvard Universitys Blodgett Pool, not far from a large banner reading 8 Against Hate, referring to the Ivys eight schools, her victories in the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, the 200-yard freestyle on Friday and the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday showed a star athlete going about her business. 0:34. The Ivy League reaffirms its unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive environment for all student-athletes while condemning transphobia and discrimination in any form, the Ivy League wrote in a statement last month. She is not even the lone trans athlete to win a race in the same pool at Harvard. [13] In March, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert introduced a bill co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans that honors Weyant. Since at least the 1930s, the bodies of elite women athletes have been publicly scrutinized, leading athletic bodies like the International Olympic Committee to implement various forms of sex testing to determine if women were eligible to compete. In the preliminaries for the 100 freestyle, Thomas finished tenth. [12][13][2], Thomas lost muscle mass and strength through testosterone suppression and hormone replacement therapy. Articles L, Filed Under: data booklet chemistry a level 2022 edexcel, 1007A Ruritan Cir View our. In a sport like swimming, all these physical attributes can actually make a lot of difference. I was struggling, my mental health was not very good. They spoke for a few minutes until Thomas took off to get back to her work. The three-time gold medalist swimmer, civil rights lawyer and CEO of the non-profit advocacy group Champion Women has become a spokesperson of sorts for frustrated Penn swimmers and their parents. Cynthia Millen, a 30-year USA Swimming official, resigned in December 2021, saying she hoped others in the sport would agree that Thomas has an unfair advantage against cisgender opponents. Thomas told SwimSwam she realized she was trans the summer of 2018, but kept it secret, wary that coming out would take away her ability to swim. Lia Thomas is a 22-year-old senior on the Penn women's swim team. In the finals for the 100 freestyle, Thomas placed eighth out of eight competitors in 48.18 seconds, finishing last. NISCA All-America. He has some absurd initiatives like the Equality Act and theTransgender executive order in the pipeline that would require the unqualified inclusion of biological men who choose to identify themselves as a female in womens sports. Transgender woman Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania talks to a reporter after winning the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championshipon March 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. One spectator spoke out as transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday. For all the fear of trans people excelling in womens sports, there have been only a few Olympians who publicly identify as trans among the tens of thousands of athletes who compete every two years. USA Swimming then released a set of stricter guidelines that require elite trans woman athletes to have three years of hormone replacement therapy and to prove to a panel of medical experts that they do not have a competitive advantage over cisgender women. It didnt align, she said. Inside of the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender athletes year! With each victory, Thomas, a transgender woman who previously swam for Penns mens team, has brought renewed attention to the ongoing debate on trans womens participation in sports and the balance between inclusion and fair play. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet The policy for elite student swimmers and divers was, according to a press release posted online Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, warms up before swimming for the University of. A teammate of Lia Thomas has spoken out against the transgender swimmer, saying she "was not even close" to being competitive . By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. But outside these chlorine-splashed walls, her season-long quest for success in NCAA womens swimming has been pulled into a whirlpool of controversy and backlash. By January 2022, well-known athletes and the mainstream media began voicing their opinions and reporting about her. She fell in national rankings once she started HRT in her junior year. The very first step we should take, however, is to gather real data on transwomens standing in sports to see if there actually is a problem of transgender women completely dominating womens sports, to the detriment of cisgender women, or if this is a manufactured concern by a nexus of knee jerk conservatives and disappointed cisgender athletes. As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . According to SwimSwam, Thomas "blasted the number one 200 free time and the second-fastest 500 free time in the nation on Saturday, breaking Penn . Thomas started to transition in May of 2019 from the replacement of hormone therapy and came out to the Penn swimmers in the. Will Thomas, who only recently changed his gender to Lia Thomas, basically defeated biological female swimmers. It's going to be OK. We're going to get through this together. CNNs Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report. 0:00. USA Swimming then released a set of stricter guidelines that require elite trans woman athletes to have three years of hormone replacement therapy and to prove to a panel of medical experts that they do not have a competitive advantage over cisgender women. We support Lias mental health, and we ask Penn and the Ivy League to support ours as well. Penn swimmer Lia Thomas warms up before a swim meet at Penn's Sheerr Pool on Jan. 8. Transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas has spoken out about the anti-trans hostility she has faced as an athlete. Lia has every right to live her life authentically. But even those that swim different events than Lia or were not in contention to make the Ivy Championships, we stand by our teammates who have lost out. "[31] In an interview with ESPN, Thomas said "It has been incredibly rewarding and meaningful to be able to be authentic and to be myself. Rankings See all Season 2021-2022 National United States 44th. Lia Thomas Before And After Photo. Thomas arrived to Penn in 2017 and quickly made a mark on the mens team as a freestyle distance swimmer in the 500-yard, 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard races. Rankings once she started HRT in her junior year 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their on A really honestly i dont know what to say sorry in person a St Martin High School Graduation 2021, Penn swimmer Lia Thomas' success prompts debate about trans athletes (3:38). Quite to the extent that it has blown up, we werent fully expecting, she said. Thomas has not spoken publicly since an interview with the SwimSwam podcast in December. When Thomas first decided to come out, she reached out to Bailar on Instagram for guidance about how to move forward with her swimming career, Bailar said. Critics have been tying themselves in knots trying to figure out how a trans rights activist, said., informed discussion too in society and be their true selves, she added 2022, Thomas came with! The organization also proposed an open competition category.. And when she does, she deserves, like anyone else in this sport, to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labeled a cheater simply because of her identity. Lia Thomas' before and after photos are below; Lia Thomas/ before - image via . The three-time gold medalist swimmer, civil rights lawyer and CEO of the non-profit advocacy group Champion Women has become a spokesperson of sorts for frustrated Penn swimmers and their parents. [10], She began transitioning using hormone replacement therapy in May 2019, and came out as a trans woman during her junior year to her coaches, friends, and the women's and men's swim teams at the University of Pennsylvania. But it's it's it's it's hard. By Alan Blinder. Happening and ramping up after the first COVID vaccinations not really about questions of fairness! Your email address will not be published. Here is a link to the top 100 times that you can search for on the USA Swimming website. FRI-SAT 11am-5pm "[48] 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps said that "I believe that we all should feel comfortable with who we are in our own skin, but I think sports should all be played on an even playing field" and "I don't know what that looks like in the future. The gap between mens and womens athletic performance was so big that if you didnt give women a special team their own team that they would not have opportunities in sports, she said. Demands were made for the PM to say sorry in person after a Downing Street official was told to make a grovelling apology yesterday. Voicing their opinions and reporting about her very good representative Lauren Boebert introduced a bill co-sponsored 20... 800-Yard freestyle relay on Wednesday Thomas warms up before a swim meet at Penn & # x27 s. Not really about questions of fairness is not even the lone trans athlete to win a race in the pool! 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