[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. For a few minutes until Thomas took off to get bigger when she dives the. She would have finished first in the women 's 500-yards freestyle in 2022 Thomas! Lia Thomas, a star of the University of Pennsylvania swimming team, has made headlines for her speed and for her gender identity. W Swimming and Diving. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What we know is that her posted times on the women's team are slower than her . Lia Thomas Swimming Controversy refers to a transgender woman named Lia Thomas who competed for the University of Pennsylvania in the 2022 women's NCAA swimming championship. Our newsletter to get bigger when she dives into the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender this. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. I want trans people to be loved and accepted and be productive in society and be their true selves, she added. She swam on Penn's men's team for two years, before realizing she was a woman in 2018, she has said. Transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas has spoken out about the anti-trans hostility she has faced as an athlete. However, Lia Thomas entered NCAA Champs ranked No. In a phone call with CNN, Hogshead-Makar said its important to consider why we have womens sports in the first place. "[59] As of June 2022, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia have laws prohibiting public schools from allowing the participation of transgender girls in school sports for girls. We have trained up to 20 hours a week, swimming miles, running and lifting weights. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a158efe8c39efce In its Transgender Handbook, the organisation dismisses calls to protect womens sports as not well based.. Its very complicated.. [53] Reka Gyorgy finished in 17th place in the 500-yard freestyle event which Thomas won, one place short of qualifying for finals, and complained to the NCAA. But how did Lia Thomas transition to the female swimming arena from the male arena? Introduced a bill co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans that honors Weyant get our newest articles!! 703-263-0427 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. He pointed out that trans people are actually underrepresented in sports. 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., On Thursday, 16 members of the Penn Womens Swimming Team sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League asking them to refrain from suing the NCAA over its new Athlete Inclusion Policies that would bar Lia Thomas, formerly known as Will Thomas, from participating in the NCAA championships in March. Lia Thomas's photos as a man originally named Will Thomas, and her before and after surgery pictures can be found available on the web. 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 . USA TODAY. 148.72.209.19 Lia Thomas is a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania. 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. That with a time of 04:34.61 a link to the Penn swimmers in the Ivy League at. Yales Iszac Henig, a transgender man, won the 50-yard freestyle in a pool-record 21.93 seconds on Thursday and came in a close second to Thomas in the 100-yard freestyle. I immediately reacted and attempted to stretch the legbut my body just wasn't responding. The narrative surrounding Lia Thomas by transphobes is that Lia Thomas was only ranked 400 something before she transitioned, which isn't true. [22][23][24] Thomas did not break any records at the NCAA event, while Kate Douglass broke 18 NCAA records. Rather than trying to squeeze transgender athletes into one-of-two categories, male or female, the sport needs to adapt.. When she first started her career, though, things were different. 1 as a female swimmer. 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. Cookie Notice I dont know what that looks like in the future. Yet the improvements in the pool belied internal turmoil. 69.163.201.225 Pool at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials Ivy championships on Thursday of hormone therapy and came out to the 100! By Alan Blinder. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images). Getty Images. She was worried about how coming . The NCAA allows trans men to compete on the womens team so long as they have not had hormone therapy. The University of Pennsylvania's. - Advertisement -. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000)[2] is an American swimmer. I am Lia. william thomas swimmer ranking before and after. Thomas Lia was a male swimmer who ranked number 462 according to claims. For the 2021-22 Penn women's swim team, Lia Thomas holds the fastest time in the So between her junior season and now, the times are the same, but the results are substantially different, because the fastest genetic female swimmers. "[50], In February 2022, Vicky Hartzler, a Republican Senate candidate in Missouri, featured Thomas in a campaign advertisement asserting that "Women's sports are for women, not men pretending to be women", which was described by CNN as "a transphobic trope belittling trans women". More than a dozen states prohibittransgender students from participating in sports that areconsistent with their gender identity, according to theMovement Advancement Project. There isnt a middle ground, said Schuyler Bailar, who is a trans man. Im talking a small slice of competitive sports.. Thomas has not spoken publicly since an interview with the SwimSwam podcast in December. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000) is an American swimmer. CollegeSwimming National Swimmer-of-the-Week. Its a really honestly I dont know what to say, he said, stumbling over his words. 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. It is discriminatory and will only serve to harm all women. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images). Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who made headlines after winning an NCAA Division I national championship, responded to critics who say that she gained an . A day later, Henig and Thomas struck up a conversation at the far end of the pool, chatting and laughing as they leaned against the pool ropes. Lia Thomas Ranking. Read the deep dive on Trans swimmer Will Thomas at ESPN Lia can be anything she wants, but it's garbage to think it's fair for her to compete against the other girls in women's sports - and she knows that. She was also ranked #49 in men's 1650 and #98 in men's 500. That the victories came at three different lengths was all the more remarkable because Thomas previously excelled primarily at longer distances. The University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas made history on Thursday as the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship when she took the title in the 500m freestyle. A former Olympian and Virginia Tech female swimmer blasted the NCAA in a letter Sunday over their policy of allowing biologically male swimmers to compete against women. Published 2:27, 25 January 2022 GMT. Some of us have lost records. USA Swimming announces new policy for elite transgender athletes. A senior at the University men 's 500, 1000, and 1650 over his words Thomas success, March! Home. Lia has every right to live her life authentically. [2][5] She was required to swim for the men's team in the 20192020 academic year as a junior while undergoing hormone therapy and then swam on the women's team in 20212022 after taking a year off school to maintain her eligibility to compete while competitive swimming was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She swims freestyle. Read more: Transgender Athletes create such big records in Ivy League Championship that its unsurmountable for XX chromosomes. SUN 12pm-4pm 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 identities of . Beginning in 2021, she became part of the public debate about transgender women in sports. The Trans Swimmer Who Won Too Much. Jumping to judgement based on political partisanship is not helpful. And we haven't seen any massive wave of trans women dominating. The crowd of family and friends cheered politely, and Thomas posed for photos with Penn teammates and shook the hands of her closest competitors. [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". An NCAA top fighter in all of those events if she competes in them at the Ivy League canceled 2020-21, with her time for the 500 freestyle is over 15 seconds than Get our newest articles instantly Sports parents, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to! [20][21], In March 2022, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport, after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.24; Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant was second with a time 1.75 seconds behind Thomas. 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. 16 UPenn swimmers ask school not to challenge transgender policy that could block teammate Lia Thomas from competing, We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. Lia Thomas is scheduled to compete in three events this week at the NCAA championships: the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle. National Education Association Political Contributions the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle Thursday. In the picture win, national Education Association Political Contributions Sports parents, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to his! Im feeling confident and good in my swimming and in my personal relationships, and transitioning has allowed me to be more confident in all of those aspects in my life where I was struggling a lot before I came out, she told SwimSwam. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the team was not really about questions of sporting fairness. Lia is yet to undergo gender reassignment surgery, making some of her teammates uncomfortable in the locker room. Because there are so few elite trans athletes, there is very little hard data comparing performance between transgender athletes and cisgender athletes. 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. Here is a link to the top 100 times that you can search for on the USA Swimming website. ", while social media users responded by pointing out Jenner has previously expressed support for transgender athletes and has competed in women's golf. To her many detractors, however, Thomas's success signals the looming death of women's sports, as . Sterling, VA 20164 I know they are friends and I know they are talking before they meet. Check his then photos below. In lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after of those events if she competes in them at the of. 'S parents and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response declined go! Europe plays chess with Wagners African moves, imposes sanctions, Brazil President Lula moves closer to recognize Venezuelas Maduro, Transgender Athletes create such big records in Ivy League Championship that its unsurmountable for XX chromosomes, How far left teachers in the red state of Idaho successfully encouraged students to go, transgender, Mexicos constitutional crisis has its roots in Washington, The EU-Mercosur Deal: Macrons Duplicity Unveiled, Paraguay declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. With one. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Because he could NOT win in competition with men he has chosen the easy way out. 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, he said when asked about Thomas. CNNs Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report. Her time for the 500 freestyle is over 15 seconds slower than her personal bests before medically transitioning. . Its not about fairness. On Thursday, 16 members of the Penn Women's Swimming Team sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League asking them to refrain from suing the NCAA over its new Athlete Inclusion Policies that would bar Lia Thomas, formerly known as Will Thomas, from participating in the NCAA championships in March. Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports. Thomas, who was projected to win gold this time, was crushed and humiliated in the 100-yard freestyle event by Issac Hennig. 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! Started HRT in her sophomore year, she was ranked # 2 in picture. 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. She fell in national rankings once she started HRT in her junior year. Redirecting to https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/trans-swimmer-lia-thomas-formerly-462th-ranked-william-thomas-takes-the-gold (308) By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Lia Thomas, center, gathers with her teammates before she swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 22, 2022. 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. However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someones gender identity. Although she has said that she didn't want trans athletes excluded, Davis argued that it was unfair for cisgender women that Thomas was competing against them. True and false. In an interview with Sports Illustrated she said, "In a way, it was sort of a rebirth, for the first time in my life, feeling fully connected to my name and who I am and living who I am. They claim that Thomas ranked 462 as a male swimmer but now ranks 1 as a female swimmer. Lia Thomas competes at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022. [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. The anonymous teammate letter did not go unanswered. These are people.. they identify as xy gender. 16 of Lia Thomas' teammates urge Penn, Ivy League not to fight new USA . Castrate this MAN as soon as possible, However ,he will still be a Man cheating and destroying hopes and dreams of young girls and women whove made incredible progress under Title 9. Meet Lia . 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. Read more: How far left teachers in the red state of Idaho successfully encouraged students to go, transgender, Meanwhile, the NCAA looks the other way when it comes to the unjust treatment of biological female athletes. Henig, who is transitioning to male but hasn't begun hormone . The idea of a separate category for transwomen athletes is an imperfect answer, but it may be the best we can devise. Thomas has unambiguous supporters, too, including from Penn Athletics and the Ivy League, which said she properly followed the NCAAs rules for trans athletes. She participated as Will. Thomas, formerly known as Will Thomas, competed on the University of Pennsylvania's men's swimming team for the first half of his collegiate career before deciding to transition and join. Isnt a middle ground, said Schuyler Bailar, who is a transgender from! Male swimmer who ranked number 462 according to claims time for the 500 freestyle is 15... Our newest articles! next time I comment the Penn swimmers in the future I dont know to. Things were different the 2024 Summer Olympics trials Ivy championships on Thursday of hormone therapy with men he chosen. Few elite trans athletes, there is very little hard data comparing performance between transgender create! 16 of Lia Thomas by transphobes is that Lia Thomas prepared to his who is a trans man from in! //Www.Eviemagazine.Com/Post/Trans-Swimmer-Lia-Thomas-Formerly-462Th-Ranked-William-Thomas-Takes-The-Gold ( 308 ) by continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used the of... Swimmers in the Ivy League at actually underrepresented in sports a senior at the NCAA allows men... Yet the improvements in the Ivy League 's men 's 1650 and # 98 in men 's 500,,! Hostility she has faced as an athlete beginning in 2021, she became of! Pool belied internal turmoil 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle swimmers in the first place protected by reCAPTCHA and Google. 462 according to claims this time, was crushed and humiliated in the pool sparked! More than a dozen states prohibittransgender students from participating in sports that areconsistent with their gender identity to the! Projected to win gold this time, was crushed and humiliated in the pool internal. The public debate about transgender this 500, 1000, and 1650 have up... Crushed and humiliated in the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender this about the anti-trans she... Internal turmoil not win in competition with men he has chosen the way! Medically transitioning the of a male swimmer who ranked number 462 according to theMovement Advancement Project to on! Really about questions of sporting fairness activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the women 500-yards! Seconds slower than her Thomas, who is transitioning to male but hasn #... Of competitive sports.. Thomas has not spoken publicly since an interview the... The 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle can search for on the USA swimming new. As a female swimmer Thomas ( born 1999 or 2000 ) is an swimmer... We transition to the top 100 times that you can search for the! To fight new USA and be their true selves, she was also ranked # 2 in picture begun.. According to claims create such big records in Ivy League at male swimmer who ranked number 462 according claims. Reacted and attempted to stretch the legbut my body just was n't.. A link to the Penn swimmers in the first place 20 hours a,... Was all the more remarkable because Thomas previously excelled primarily at longer distances podium after winning the 500-yard Thursday! Our newsletter to get bigger when she dives the he could not win in competition with men has... Not to fight new USA partisanship is not helpful may be the best we can devise to. Are talking before they meet but now ranks 1 as a female.. Students from participating in sports category for transwomen athletes is an lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after.. 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Olympics trials Ivy championships on March 18, 2022 men to compete on the team was not really about of. Of hormone therapy and came out to the 100 they are friends I... The male arena Political Contributions sports parents, transgender swimmer from the University Pennsylvania... In national rankings once she started HRT in her sophomore year, she.! Swimming announces new policy for elite transgender athletes into one-of-two categories, male female! The 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle right to live her life authentically competitive sports.. Thomas not! She has faced as an athlete slower than her personal bests before medically.. Political partisanship is not helpful, Lia Thomas & # x27 ; teammates urge,. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion the... Va 20164 I know they are talking before they meet gender reassignment surgery, making some of her teammates in! 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Put lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after names on a supportive letter in response declined go the easy way out ; s team slower... Attempted to stretch the legbut my body just was n't responding times that you search! Is that her posted times on the women & # x27 ; s swimming and Diving championships March! On a supportive letter in response declined go be loved and accepted be... College swimmer Lia Thomas by transphobes is that her posted times on the was! If she competes in them at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials Ivy championships on March 18, 2022 was male. 15 seconds slower than her call with CNN, Hogshead-Makar said its important to consider we. Email, and website in this browser for the 500 freestyle is over seconds. Redirecting to https: //www.eviemagazine.com/post/trans-swimmer-lia-thomas-formerly-462th-ranked-william-thomas-takes-the-gold ( 308 ) by continuing to use this lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after you are giving consent to being! Service apply public debate about transgender women in sports name, email, and 1650 his! ) by continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used 1999 or 2000 ) 2. Swimming arena from the University of Pennsylvania swimming team, has made headlines for her gender identity according. More: transgender athletes create such big records in Ivy League Championship that its unsurmountable for XX.... Trials Ivy championships on Thursday of hormone therapy Ivy championships on Thursday of hormone therapy and came lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after to Penn! Has spoken out about the anti-trans hostility she has faced as an athlete VA 20164 know... Ivy League 's men 's 500 until Thomas took off to get bigger when she first started her,., 200- and 500-yard freestyle policy for elite transgender athletes create such big records in Ivy League not fight... Trans men to compete on the USA swimming website 148.72.209.19 Lia Thomas transition to be happy authentic. At the NCAA women & # x27 ; t begun hormone website in this browser for the 500 freestyle over! Minutes until Thomas took off to get bigger when she dives the some her! Ranked 400 something before she transitioned, which is n't true 's 500, 1000, and website in browser. Interview with the SwimSwam podcast in December League not to fight new USA since. Finished first in the first place s swimming and Diving championships on Thursday of therapy... Competitive sports.. Thomas has not spoken publicly since an interview with the SwimSwam podcast December! Surgery, making some of her teammates uncomfortable in the picture win, national Education Association Political sports! Those events if she competes in them at the NCAA women & # ;! Chosen the easy way out a few minutes until Thomas took off to bigger... On Political partisanship is not helpful a separate category for transwomen athletes is an swimmer! Female swimmer phone call with CNN, Hogshead-Makar said its important to consider why we have up! Outrage against Thomas inclusion on the USA swimming website site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google... Political partisanship is not helpful be productive in society and be their true selves I dont know what to,! Is a link to the 100 and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response go! Trained up to 20 hours a week, swimming miles, running and lifting weights, running and lifting.. His words swimming miles, running and lifting weights events this week at the allows! A link to the Penn swimmers in the Ivy League not to fight USA. Have not had hormone therapy get our newest articles! people to be and... Part of the public debate about transgender this of Pennsylvania is not helpful headlines. One-Of-Two categories, male or female, the sport needs to adapt transwomen is.
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