Transgender athlete Lia Thomas should not be allowed to compete as a woman, 16 fellow members of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team argue.
The swimmers, who currently compete alongside Thomas in National Collegiate Athletic Association events, asked UPenn not to allow the transgender athlete to compete next month, citing the “biology of sex” as creating an “unfair advantage.”
“We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. Lia has every right to live her life authentically,” the swimmers argued in a letter sent to the school and to Ivy League officials on Thursday, according to the Washington Post. “However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someone’s gender identity.”
LIA THOMAS’S SWIMMING FUTURE IN LIMBO AFTER NEW USA SWIMMING POLICY
“Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the women’s category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female,” the anonymous swimmers wrote. “If she were to be eligible to compete against us, she could now break Penn, Ivy, and NCAA Women’s Swimming records; feats she could never have done as a male athlete.”
The UPenn swimmers allege Thomas is taking “competitive opportunities” from them, such as the chance to swim in tournament-level competitions.
The letter was sent by Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a former swimming gold medalist and chief executive of Champion Women.
Thomas competed on UPenn’s men’s swimming team for three seasons. After undergoing two years of hormone replacement therapy, the college senior reported the fastest times for any swimmer in two separate women’s events.
Thomas has attracted both criticism and support, with a separate group of UPenn swimmers filing a statement on Tuesday expressing their “full support” for the swimmer.
“We want to express our full support for Lia in her transition,” the athletes said, according to ESPN. “We value her as a person, teammate, and friend. The sentiments put forward by an anonymous member of our team are not representative of the feelings, values, and opinions of the entire Penn team, composed of 39 women with diverse backgrounds.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
USA Swimming and the NCAA both adjusted their transgender participation policies in January, with the NCAA allowing individual sports to determine whether transgender individuals could compete beginning in March. USA Swimming will require transgender athletes to prove that their “physical development” as biologically male won’t give them a competitive advantage.
Representatives for UPenn and Champion Women did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
