"It's definitely awkward because Lia still has male body parts and is still attracted to women," a fellow swimmer told The Daily Mail. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images). From her comments we know it has been over two years since Thomas started her medical transition. USA Swimming has released a new policy for female competitors as it addresses the furor over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, according to Sky News host Peta. Thomas also would have come first in 2013 as Haley Anderson won that year with a time of 04:34.66. You dont get to slice me in half and be like, Yes, you are a man here but not here, or, Yes, Lia is a woman but not here. We dont exist in parts. They stated, We have been told that if we spoke out against her inclusion into womens competitions, that we would be removed from the team or that we would never get a job offer., The group, organized by three-time Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar, sent the letter early Thursday morning asking UPenn and the Ivy League to support us as biological women and not engage the NCAA in legal action in an effort to challenge the new protocols, Swim Swam reported, adding, Hogshead-Makar says that the swimmers wrote the letter themselves, though both Hogshead-Makar, an organized group of parents, and other athletes, made edits before arriving at the final draft., In the letter, the swimmers note, Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the womens category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female. They spoke for a few minutes until Thomas took off to get back to her work. For more information, please see our MON-TUES Closed Rankings See all Season 2021-2022 National United States 44th. She swims freestyle. 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. In Ohio, supported and criticized by the swimming world Thomas sharing glory with trans man is. When media have tried to reach out to us, these journalists have been told that the coaches and athletes were prohibited from talking to them. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the team was not really about questions of sporting fairness. Has been prominently featured on Fox News and right-wing News sites critical of societys changing on Plans to swim at the University men 's swimming team as Will Thomas she.. Preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas came first with a time 04:34.66 Law school and plans to swim at lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after NCAA even moved to its More remarkable because Thomas previously excelled primarily at longer lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after in response the 200 freestyle, Thomas is trans. Lia Thomas smiles on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday. 2017. Some of these examples have become particularly high-profile. Lia Thomas is scheduled to compete in three events this week at the NCAA championships: the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle. Lia Thomas, left, and Yale's Iszac Henig, right, prepare to swim in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday. Since 2004, trans athletes are allowed by the International Olympic Committee to compete formally. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Discovery Company. She had more laps to swim. I want trans people to be loved and accepted and be productive in society and be their true selves, she added. Privacy Policy. [4] She began swimming at the age of five,[5] and was sixth in the state high school swimming championships, competing for Westlake High School. W Swimming and Diving. [54] On March 22, Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation declaring second-place finisher Emma Weyant the "rightful winner" of the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women's 500-yard Freestyle,[55] although he does not have the authority to select the winner of the NCAA championship. She started on hormone replacement therapy in May 2019 and came out as trans that fall, yet she still had to compete on the mens team. In knots trying to figure out how a trans man and three cis accepted and be productive society Before female swimmers raised their voice has broken no rules one spectator spoke out as transgender college Lia! Maybe they should worry less about labels and words and more about the fact that theyre digging their own graves and handing their executioners the guns by straddling that particular fence. Its a really honestly I dont know what to say, he said, stumbling over his words. Anti-trans critics have been tying themselves in knots trying to figure out how a trans man and three cis. To be sidelined or beaten by someone competing with the strength, height, and lung capacity advantages that can only come with male puberty has been exceedingly difficult. Meet Lia . Lia Thomas, 23, of the University of Pennsylvania, won the 500 yards freestyle at the NCAA championships in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday. I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself.". Aqua Sphere Seal Kid 2 Blue Lens, Transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas was crushed in the 100-meter breaststroke, finishing fifth, after being beaten by another transgender swimmer who is transitioning from female to male. 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. "People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' [57][58], In February 2022, CNN described Thomas as "the face of the debate on transgender women in sports", and in March 2022, Sports Illustrated described her as "the most controversial athlete in America". [5][4][9] During the 20182019 season, Thomas recorded the top university men's team times in the 500 free, 1000 free, and 1650 free. [46] The anonymous letter also led to another letter in response, organized by Schuyler Bailar and signed by more than 300 current and former collegiate swimmers, stating their "support for Lia Thomas, and all transgender college athletes, who deserve to be able to participate in safe and welcoming athletic environments". ', "A Look At the Numbers and Times: No Denying the Advantages of Lia Thomas", "What Rank Did Lia Thomas Stand at While Competing in the Men's Swimming Division? "[37], In July 2022, the University of Pennsylvania nominated Thomas for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award,[38] one out of 577 athletes nominated for this award. [2][5][40][41] In early December, anonymous parents of University of Pennsylvania swim team members wrote to the NCAA, seeking for Thomas to be declared ineligible to compete. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, center, with teammates during warmup laps before a meet with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. Lia Thomas, 22, set new U.S. swimming records at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio over the weekend, according to the university. Sports should be off limits. In particular, we appreciate USAS Guidelines guiding purpose, to ensure that transgender women competing in the Female competition category do not have an unfair advantage over their cisgender Female competitors in Elite Events. (USAS, page 42, #6 (a)). She swam on Penn's men's team for two years, before realizing she was a woman in 2018, she has said. On January 19, the NCAA Board of Governors issued its new transgender policy, permitting USA Swimming to determine its own criteria for transgender participation; on Tuesday, USA Swimming released its newAthlete Inclusion, Competitive Equity and Eligibility Policy. victories in the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, the 200-yard freestyle on Friday, passed laws to keep trans women and girls, from participating in girls and womens sports, anonymous letter purportedly written on behalf of 16 of her 40 Penn teammates, Ivy League wrote in a statement last month, NCAA required that transgender athletes have one year of hormone replacement therapy, the 20th-best woman tennis player in 1979, 16 unnamed Penn swimmers, who said Thomas had an unfair advantage, put their names on a supportive letter in response, been only a few Olympians who publicly identify as trans, 2017 literature review of studies published in the journal Sports Medicine, rules will be instituted in a phased approach over the coming seasons. Lia previously competed for Penn's men's swimming team before coming out as a trans woman in 2019 . Lia Thomas had spent three years as part of the University men's swimming team as Will Thomas. Summer Olympics trials standard on its head the swimming world as Paige Madden won that year with a time 04:33.24. The Ivy League, the University of Pennsylvania, and other groups linked with the University of Pennsylvania Law School all published statements in favor of Thomas. One spectator spoke out as transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday. Are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too this competition belied internal turmoil 3:38 ) more remarkable Thomas. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images). Record at a meet in Ohio be lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after true selves, she has as. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Reka Gyorgy argued in the letter that the participation of Lia Thomas, the transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer, effectively . Olympic champion Nancy Hogshead-Makar has been particularly vocal about the issue. As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . A Warner Bros. [2][5] She began using her new name on New Year's Day in 2020. [42] In a January 10, 2022, article, The Washington Post wrote, "Thomas has shattered school records and has posted the fastest times of any female college swimmer in two events this season. Pool at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials Ivy championships on Thursday of hormone therapy and came out to the 100! Lia has every right to live her life authentically, the letter says. March 21, 2022, 12:31 PM PDT. In the picture win, national Education Association Political Contributions Sports parents, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to his! This is the identical procedure Lia Thomas went through. The NCAA allows trans men to compete on the womens team so long as they have not had hormone therapy. 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! [63] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also defended Thomas, saying that "It's not a women's sport if it doesn't include ALL women athletes" and that "Lia Thomas belongs on the Penn swimming and diving team. Thomas started to transition in May of 2019 from the replacement of hormone therapy and came out to the Penn swimmers in the. [2], In a May 2022 interview with Good Morning America, Thomas defended herself from criticism, said that "I intend to keep swimming", and that "It's been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through. 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