Lia Thomas Record setting trans swimmer controversy

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ASPartOfMe
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10 Dec 2021, 9:05 am

Record-Breaking Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas Shrugs Off Critics, Talks About Swimming as Her ‘Authentic Self’

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A trans university swimmer attacked by right-wing media for smashing records in her first meet as a woman says she expected some "pushback" but has chosen not to "engage" in the nasty online debate.

Over the weekend, Lia Thomas—now a member of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swim team after three years on the men’s team—smashed multiple swimming records at the Zippy Invitational in Ohio, according to People. She came in first during Friday’s 500-freestyle finals, breaking a national record with 4:34.06. On Saturday, she set another record in the 200-yard freestyle. And on Sunday, she broke yet another record in the 1,650-yard freestyle.

The New York Post Editorial Board slammed Thomas in an essay on Thursday, calling the swimmer “selfish” for competing among women. Citing an anonymous female teammate, the column mentioned how unhappy other members of the swim team supposedly are to have Thomas as a member.

“Pretty much everyone individually has spoken to our coaches about not liking this,” the teammate reportedly said. “Our coach just really likes winning.”

“Most of the women are too afraid to speak out against this. But they must,” Megyn Kelly posted on Twitter.

Thomas said she first realized that she was trans during the summer of 2018, and felt a lot of confusion concerning her future as a swimmer. She finished out the 2018-19 year competing in men’s races without coming out, which she said caused her a lot of stress.

“I was struggling. My mental health was not very good. It was a lot of unease, basically just feeling trapped in my body. It didn’t align,” she told SwimSwam. “After a year of that...I decided it was time to come out and start my transition.”

That happened in May of 2019, and Thomas came out to her teammates as trans in the fall of that year. She said that teammates, coaches, and staff within the athletics department have been supportive during the process.

NCAA rules state that a trans woman can continue to compete with men while gender transitioning, and can’t compete with women until after undergoing testosterone suppression treatment for a year.

“In the summer of 2020 after I completed my one year of testosterone suppression...I submitted all of my medical work...to the NCAA, and they approved everything,” Thomas said. “I was cleared to compete on the women’s team.


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10 Dec 2021, 9:22 am

Does one really lose strength and endurance when one undergoes a transformation from a man to a woman?



The_Walrus
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10 Dec 2021, 10:14 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
Does one really lose strength and endurance when one undergoes a transformation from a man to a woman?

Yes, one loses both strength and endurance. Twelve months probably isn't long enough for the average trans woman to compete at the same level as the average cis woman.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/15/865

Congratulations to Lia on her achievements.



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10 Dec 2021, 10:29 am

I hope, some day, that men and women are able to compete at the same level, so we don't have these sorts of controversies. I believe this actually might happen some day.

It is true that the gap between men and women has lessened considerably over a generation. Though there is still about a 10 minute or so gap between the men's marathon record and the women's marathon record.



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16 Dec 2021, 6:36 pm

Lia Thomas' dominance in the pool leads to NCAA letter from fearful Penn parents about women's sports

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Parents who were outraged at the NCAA for allowing University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete and dominate in women’s competitions wrote a letter to the college athletics’ governing body demanding a rule change.

According to The Daily Mail, parents of about 10 swimmers sent a letter to the NCAA, the Ivy League and Penn athletics officials over their concerns about the integrity of women’s sports.

The University of Pennsylvania did respond.

“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 school said. "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.

"We've encouraged our student-athletes to utilize the robust resources available to them at Penn, and I'd like to share them with you as well."

NCAA rules state that a trans woman can't compete with women until after undergoing testosterone suppression treatment for a year. Thomas recently brushed off her critics in an interview, saying the NCAA rules are fair and "promote competition integrity."

The NCAA has defended its policy, which requires testosterone suppression treatment, as part of its vision for "fair competition."

“The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports," the NCAA said in April. "This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition."


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16 Dec 2021, 6:41 pm

This really is difficult. I probably don't know enough about the issue.

You wonder whether this person has a physical advantage based upon her previous male status.

If I was a man-to-woman trans person, I'm not sure if I would seek to engage in woman's sports.

I don't feel that Ms. Thomas should be subject to taunts, threats, or anything of that nature. She should be left alone.



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16 Dec 2021, 9:30 pm

The_Walrus wrote:
kraftiekortie wrote:
Does one really lose strength and endurance when one undergoes a transformation from a man to a woman?

Yes, one loses both strength and endurance. Twelve months probably isn't long enough for the average trans woman to compete at the same level as the average cis woman.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/15/865

Congratulations to Lia on her achievements.


Neither is 36 months according to that link.

Notwithstanding, values for strength, LBM and muscle area in transwomen remain above those of cisgender women, even after 36 months of hormone therapy.

kraftiekortie wrote:
I hope, some day, that men and women are able to compete at the same level, so we don't have these sorts of controversies. I believe this actually might happen some day.


It won't. The difference is genetic and immutable, barring some unlikely sci-fi technology. The gap is large enough that it remains even after the athlete has crippled themselves with hormone treatments.

kraftiekortie wrote:
You wonder whether this person has a physical advantage based upon her previous male status.


They did. Either we scrap women's sports altogether or all former men should be banned from female competitions immediately and all records, titles and trophies rescinded. They are cheating.


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24 Dec 2021, 7:09 pm

USA Swimming Official Resigns in Protest Over Lia Thomas Situation

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A longtime USA Swimming official, Cynthia Millen has resigned from that role after three decades in the sport. Millen’s departure is in protest of Lia Thomas, University of Pennsylvania swimmer, being allowed to compete for the school’s women’s team after three years of racing as a member of the men’s program. Thomas is a transgender female.

Millen resigned on December 17, on the grounds that she did not believe that Thomas should be afforded the opportunity to compete against biological women.

Swimming World Editor-in-Chief John Lohn wrote a column that called for Thomas’ exclusion from the NCAA Champs due to her competitive advantages.


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24 Dec 2021, 7:57 pm

Mikah wrote:
The_Walrus wrote:
kraftiekortie wrote:
Does one really lose strength and endurance when one undergoes a transformation from a man to a woman?

Yes, one loses both strength and endurance. Twelve months probably isn't long enough for the average trans woman to compete at the same level as the average cis woman.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/15/865

Congratulations to Lia on her achievements.


Neither is 36 months according to that link.

Notwithstanding, values for strength, LBM and muscle area in transwomen remain above those of cisgender women, even after 36 months of hormone therapy.

kraftiekortie wrote:
I hope, some day, that men and women are able to compete at the same level, so we don't have these sorts of controversies. I believe this actually might happen some day.


It won't. The difference is genetic and immutable, barring some unlikely sci-fi technology. The gap is large enough that it remains even after the athlete has crippled themselves with hormone treatments.

kraftiekortie wrote:
You wonder whether this person has a physical advantage based upon her previous male status.


They did. Either we scrap women's sports altogether or all former men should be banned from female competitions immediately and all records, titles and trophies rescinded. They are cheating.


the difference is however in the hormonal environment in which the bulk of the muscles develops during puberty, so it's not entirely genetic - if a person were to hormonally transition before puberty, they would develop according to their acquired gender, rather than their assigned one.

But yeah... professional sports is a marketing stunt anyway.The real winner is always Nike.


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04 Jan 2022, 4:31 pm

People who have unusual medical conditions can have an advantage.

Life is not fair.

"Little" Arnold Schwarzenegger (in the middle) next to men suspected of having acromegaly.

Image


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04 Jan 2022, 4:36 pm

TheRobotLives wrote:
Life is not fair.


Should women be allowed their own sports divisions at all?


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04 Jan 2022, 5:18 pm

Mikah wrote:
TheRobotLives wrote:
Life is not fair.


Should women be allowed their own sports divisions at all?


I think all forms of competition where the competitors are not absolutely equal is a joke.


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04 Jan 2022, 5:41 pm

I'll try and dig up the link, but I saw recently that a trans rights organization did some polling about this issue, and the results were so bad that they refused to release them when they've released numbers that were bad for them before.


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19 Mar 2022, 8:59 am

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas becomes first trans woman to win NCAA swimming championship

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University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas made history Thursday by becoming the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming competition in Division I.

But not everyone was thrilled for her victory.

There were barely any cheers after she won, and some attendees held signs saying "Save Women's Sports" in the stands at the Georgia Tech facility protesting the swimmer who once swam for the men's team for three seasons.

Thomas, who entered the competition as the top seed, finished the 500-yard freestyle with a season-best time of 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds. The race was close until the last 100 yards with Virginia’s Emma Weyant finishing second at 4:34.99.

Thomas spoke with ESPN immediately after the race but would not participate in the official news conference, as required by the NCAA. Since participation is required, possible action could come following evaluation by the NCAA’s swimming and diving championships committee.


Lia Thomas ties for fifth in 200 freestyle, is ignored by competitors as she exits pool
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Competitors at the women’s swimming and diving national championships appeared to ignore controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas after she tied for fifth with a time of 143.40 in the 200-yard freestyle final.

Video taken by Fox News Digital shows Thomas exiting the pool after her disappointing finish at the women’s national championships in Atlanta, GA. As she walks away, several swimmers pass Thomas without acknowledging her to swarm another female swimmer with hugs and audible cheers.

The audience was also noticeably silent when Thomas was announced prior to the race, and when race officials announced the results.


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22 Mar 2022, 4:23 pm

Ron DeSantis Rejects Lia Thomas Win As A 'Lie', Honors Second Place Instead

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is refusing to recognize transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' NCAA win last week and said the state is choosing to honor runner-up and Sarasota-native Emma Weyant as the winner of the 500-yard freestyle instead.

On Tuesday, the governor issued a proclamation declaring Weyant as the "rightful winner" of the race, saying that the NCAA's decision to allow Thomas to compete and win serves to "erode opportunities for women athletes and perpetuate a fraud against women athletes."

Weyant, who is a freshman at the University of Virginia, swam her fastest career time during the championship and the third-fastest time in UVA history, according to the college.

“By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud," DeSantis tweeted. "In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle."

Congressman Dan Crenshaw, Angela Morabito, a former press secretary for the Department of Education during the Trump administration, and Clay Travis, political commentator and founder of sports media company OutKick, have also said Weyant should have been declared the winner of the championship.


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22 Mar 2022, 6:34 pm

First DeSanctis struggles to acknowledge Biden’s win, and now this. What a joke :lol: