Upset parents of fellow competitors have sent a letter demanding rules be changed as transgender swimmer Lia Thomas shatters records.
Parents of swimmers competing in the US alongside transgender University of Pennsylvania record-breaker Lia Thomas are demanding she be barred from future girls’ events — calling current rules a “direct threat to female athletes in every sport”.
A group of around 10 UPenn parents sent a letter to America’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) last week demanding it changes the controversial rules that have allowed Thomas, 22, to smash numerous records, according to The Daily Mail.
“At stake here is the integrity of women’s sports,” the parents reportedly wrote in the letter, which was also forwarded to the Ivy League and university officials.
“The precedent being set – one in which women do not have a protected and equitable space to compete – is a direct threat to female athletes in every sport.
“What are the boundaries? How is this in line with the NCAA’s commitment to providing a fair environment for student-athletes?”
NCAA bylaws permit transgender athletes to compete as women after they have completed one year of testosterone suppression treatment.
Importantly, Thomas is eligible to swim and is not breaking any rules, while her testosterone levels are the same as the competitors she is swimming against.
The New York Post reports the parents claimed that Thomas — who competed in UPenn’s men’s swim team for three years before coming out as transgender in 2019 — was also being damaged by the current rules because of the severe backlash she has faced.
Thomas (right) has been breaking plenty of records.
Thomas competed as a male before transitioning.
“As the governing body, it is unfair and irresponsible to leave the onus on Lia, Lia’s teammates, Lia’s coaches, UPenn athletics and the Ivy League,” the parents reportedly wrote.
“And it is unfair and irresponsible to Lia to allow the media to dictate the narrative without the participation of the NCAA.”
One parent told the Daily Mail that many of the young swimmers have so far not spoken up because they fear being “ostracised.”
“Everybody is scared,” said the mother, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her and her daughter.
Another mum told the outlet that she felt “uncomfortable being silent” given that “our swimmers are already impacted by this situation”.
The NCAA and UPenn did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the outlet said.
The university, however, sent a terse response to the parents — along with a link to the school’s mental health services and LGBT Center.
“Please know that we fully support all our swimming student-athletes and want to help our community navigate Lia’s success in the pool this winter,” the university wrote.
“Penn Athletics is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our student-athletes, coaches and staff and we hold true to that commitment today and in the future.”
Thomas spoke out recently in the face of the backlash, detailing her transition from male to female on the SwimSwam Podcast.
“I’m feeling confident and good in my swimming and all my personal relationships,” she said.
“Transitioning has allowed me to be more confident in all of those aspects of my life, where I was struggling a lot before I came out.
“The team has been unbelievably supportive since the beginning … I feel very supported. Just treated like any other member of the women’s team.”
This story first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
FamiliarJuggernaut95 on December 17th, 2021 at 02:32 UTC »
Seems like overwhelmingly everyone agrees...wierd
3chxes on December 17th, 2021 at 01:21 UTC »
Listen I don’t have all the answers, and anything I say will make me seem like an insensitive, transphobic prick, but at some point there has to be some reason and sense that doesn’t bow to modern sensitivities.
There are real physical differences in male athletes and female athletes. At the highest levels of competition, where any slight edge can mean winning over losing, a trans woman will have that slight edge over a biological woman.
I believe Trans people should have all of the protected rights of everyone else under the law. Freedom from discrimination in any setting. I also believe that having trans women compete against biological women in sports is against the spirit of the sport and will simply invite a male league and and trans women league, where biological women will not have a place to compete at all.
MaxChaCha on December 17th, 2021 at 01:16 UTC »
I’m all for LGBTQ rights and marriage rights and adoptive rights but this is inherently inequitable in the other direction. Muscle loss happens during hormone therapy but the musculature structure remains intact and with high-level athletes who go through hormone treatments the muscle loss isn’t profound.