Thomas was a good swimmer for the men's team, posting the Quakers . However, sport is competitive by definition, and Lias wins, records, and honors should not come at our expense, the women who have worked their entire lives to earn a spot on the Penn Womens Swimming Team. The players' names are not signed on the letter, but it appears to reveal a division in the team less than two weeks away from the Ivy League championship meet. We hope that sport will adapt; that swimming will find a place for Lia to compete. Some of us have lost records. Sport has been set up as binary with males and females, and sport needs to adapt by adding new events and classifications, rather than throwing out the meaning of the girls and womens categories. At the end of the race, Thomas is the only one even in the picture. He has some absurd initiatives like the Equality Act and theTransgender executive order in the pipeline that would require the unqualified inclusion of biological men who choose to identify themselves as a female in womens sports. Thomas arrived to Penn in 2017 and quickly made a mark on the mens team as a freestyle distance swimmer in the 500-yard, 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard races. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 22, 2022. To her supporters, this is a revolutionary act; the transgender student athlete competing on the women's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania is a role model, breaking barriersand NCAA records. ", "Penn's Transgender Swimmer Lost to Yale's Transgender Swimmer in a Hotly Contested Women's Ivy League 100 meter Race", "Amid trans athlete debate, Penn's Lia Thomas loses to trans Yale swimmer", "Thomas first transgender athlete to win D-I title", "Thomas wins US collegiate swimming title", "Swimmer Lia Thomas becomes NCAA's first transgender D-I champion in any sport", "Why the data shows trans swimming champion Lia Thomas didn't have an unfair advantage", "Iszac Henig, Lia Thomas are All-Americans in women's 100-free", "Transgender swimmer finishes last in final college race", "What Lia Thomas Could Mean for Women's Elite Sports", "Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out about backlash, future plans to compete", "Penn swimmer Lia Thomas opens up about being the 1st transgender D-I athlete to win an NCAA title", "Transgender women swimmers barred from female competitions by Fina", "FINA vote restricts transgender athletes in women's competitions", "Transgender swimmers barred from women's events", "Lia Thomas barred from competing in women's events after swimming body's transgender vote", "FINA to restrict trans women from elite races", "Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas nominated for NCAA 2022 Woman of the Year Award", "Lia Thomas nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year, sparking praise and backlash", "Penn Parents Express Further Concerns Over Lia Thomas Competing On Women's Team", "Anti-trans panic comes to an Ivy League pool", "Official Cynthia Millen Quits, Protesting Lia Thomas' Swimming Participation", "A transgender college swimmer is shattering records, sparking a debate over fairness", "Lia Thomas succeeding from 'hard work' not because she's transgender, Penn Law groups say", "16 UPenn swimmers ask school not to challenge transgender policy that could block teammate Lia Thomas from competing", "Sixteen Penn swimmers say transgender teammate Lia Thomas should not be allowed to compete", "A trio of college swimmers show support for Lia Thomas", "Why I'm proud to support trans athletes like Lia Thomas", "Michael Phelps Weighs in on Lia Thomas Controversy", "Nancy Hogshead-Makar Explains Problems With Lia Thomas Situation", "Trans swimmer Lia Thomas winning NCAA title should spark legitimate debate, not hate", "Lia Thomas becomes 1st known transgender woman to win NCAA swimming title", "Protestors Against Lia Thomas Stand Outside & Attend Women's NCAA Championship", "17th-Place Finisher in 500 Reka Gyorgy Pens Letter to NCAA on Transgender Rules", "DeSantis rejects transgender swimmer Lia Thomas's NCAA victory", "Boebert, GOP lawmakers introduce resolution honoring second-place swimmer in Lia Thomas race", "Twitter reacts: Caitlyn Jenner plays women's golf but says trans girls should be banned from sports", "Caitlyn Jenner says trans swimmer Lia Thomas is not the 'rightful winner' of NCAA title", "Bucking Republican Trend, Indiana Governor Vetoes Transgender Sports Bill", "Louisiana Becomes Latest State To Ban Transgender Athletes In Schools", "A demand to define 'woman' injects gender politics into Jackson's confirmation hearings", "Trans athletes become campaign flashpoint for GOP", "Trans swimming champion Lia Thomas finishes college career", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lia_Thomas&oldid=1133875132, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia temporarily semi-protected biographies of living people, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Championship, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 23:15. [16], In the 20182019 season she was, when competing in the men's team, ranked 554 in the 200 freestyle, 65 in the 500 freestyle, and 32 in the 1650 freestyle. Are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too this competition belied internal turmoil 3:38 ) more remarkable Thomas. Sports parents, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas had a pretty dominant performance at the NCAA even moved to its! We expected there would be some measure of pushback by some people. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. She swims freestyle. The organization also proposed an open competition category.. And when she does, she deserves, like anyone else in this sport, to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labeled a cheater simply because of her identity. Penn swimmer Lia Thomas's decision to keep swimming as a transgender woman has spawned a thousand think-pieces, new rules and threats of legal challenges over her presence. We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. [13] In March, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert introduced a bill co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans that honors Weyant. I am a student and a blogger all alone, Gurmeet. Rankings See all Season 2021-2022 National United States 44th. [7], Towards the end of high school, Thomas began to question her gender identity. If Lia (born Will) Thomas were not the self-absorbed narcissist that from all indications (s) Thomas' instantly vaulting from a national ranking of No. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. 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. We have trained up to 20 hours a week, swimming miles, running and lifting weights. Reka Gyorgy argued in the letter that the participation of Lia Thomas, the transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer, effectively . It didnt align, she said. print. Yet the improvements in the pool belied internal turmoil. W Swimming and Diving. It is discriminatory and will only serve to harm all women. At the time, the NCAA required that transgender athletes have one year of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to be cleared to participate. Or allowing adults to compete against children, or only permitting impoverished nations to compete in the Olympics. Transgender swimmer of the University of Pennsylvania is a 22-year-old young lady known for being good at swimming and representing the various schools she has attended in the Olympics. We love you. "[48] 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps said that "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" and "I don't know what that looks like in the future. USA College CollegeSwimming 32nd Division 1 32nd Division 1 Mid-Major . Yet in January, a month after Thomas record-setting pace at the Invitational, the NCAA said it would take a sport-by-sport approach to its rules on transgender athletes participation and defer to each sports national governing body. lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after. [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. Period. It was awkward and uncomfortable, she said, and her speed suffered as her muscles weakened from the hormone therapy. It's not taking away opportunities from cis women really," Thomas said. "I've been able to do the sport that I love as my authentic self," she said. Thomas is ranked 36th among female college swimmers in the United States for the 20212022 season and 46th among women swimmers nationally. As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . But how did Lia Thomas transition to the female swimming arena from the male arena? [32], In June 2022, the International Swimming Federation (FINA), an organization that administers international aquatic sports competitions, voted to bar all transgender athletes from competing in professional women's swimming, with the exception of athletes who "can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later", barring Thomas from competing in the women's competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics as she had planned. Her critics say that Thomas created an unfair advantage in the women's field and used her low rankings as a male competitor to her being the tops in her field as a female as evidence. We just celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day. 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. View our. james spann retiring; keith baldrey illness; ampm car wash membership; trina solar panel recall Our transness is not something we can just take off and put over here. Lia Thomas Before And After Photo. But even those that swim different events than Lia or were not in contention to make the Ivy Championships, we stand by our teammates who have lost out. 69.163.201.225 Its not healthy for me to read it and engage with it at all, and so I dont.. Nancy Hogshead-Makar sees eligibility rules as vital to the continued success of womens sports. Yet Thomas success has vexed even those who say they support her transition, including some of her fellow swimmers. Matthew Fitzpatrick: Girlfriend| Wife| Father| Is gay| Wikipedia, Adam Hadwin: Winnings| Money list| Moose jaw| How old is. In the past couple of years, Republican-led states across the country have passed laws to keep trans women and girls from participating in girls and womens sports in the name of fairness, and Thomas quickly became the personification of those fears. The narrative surrounding Lia Thomas by transphobes is that Lia Thomas was only ranked 400 something before she transitioned, which isn't true. Lia Thomas is not the first trans swimmer in the N.C.A.A., but her victories have put her at the center of a debate about trans athletes. Thomas's best time in the 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24. [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. Luca's Restaurant Somerset, (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images). So after a year of HRT, Thomas submitted medical documentation and was approved to compete for the womens team for the 2020-21 season, she said. Penn's Lia Thomas swims under water. 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. Days later, over 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response. Bailar told CNN he organized the message of support because he felt the anonymous open letter was irresponsible and bullying. [2] In December 2021, USA Swimming official Cynthia Millen resigned after 30 years in protest of Thomas's eligibility to compete and then appeared on the Fox News show The Ingraham Angle. 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. Hours before Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle event on Thursday, demonstrators gathered outside the Georgia Tech McAuley Aquatic Center to protest Thomas' participation in the championship. william thomas swimmer ranking before and after. According to Sports Illustrated, she has applied for law school and plans to swim at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials. USA Swimming then released a set of stricter guidelines that require elite trans woman athletes to have three years of hormone replacement therapy and to prove to a panel of medical experts that they do not have a competitive advantage over cisgender women. Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? Hadwin: Winnings| Money list| Moose jaw| how old is freestyle on Thursday hello, i am a and! From her comments we know it has been over two years since Thomas started her medical transition. As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . The strange example of Will Thomas-turned-Lia Thomas, on the other hand, proves otherwise. Tuesday, USA Swimming released new Athlete Inclusion Procedures shortly after the NCAA acknowledged that each sport should determine how fairness and inclusion were to be accomplished. In 2017, she began studying at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated in May 2022. In a phone call with CNN, Hogshead-Makar said its important to consider why we have womens sports in the first place. Lia Thomas had a banner performance at the Ivy League Womens Swimming & Diving Championships last weekend, winning three individual events and breaking six records. Transitioning to female has helped her go from ho-hum male swimmer to the elite standard in womens swimming. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly! 6 of 11. Mar 4, 2022, 10:29 AM. Swimming star Michael Phelps, too, expressed his hesitations on the topic in an interview with CNN in January. 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. 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. March 20, 2022 2 Mins Read. She is not even the lone trans athlete to win a race in the same pool at Harvard. She has posted the fastest times of the season in the 200 and 500. I don't know what to say. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas reportedly made an arrogant comment about how "easy" one of her races against female opposition was. By Cheryl Cooky, Purdue University professor of American studies and women's, gender and . In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. "[2], Thomas began swimming on the men's team at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, and during her freshman year, recorded a time of 8 minutes and 57.55 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle that ranked as the sixth-fastest national men's time, as well as 500-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle times ranked within the national top 100. In an SI feature, USA Swimming representatives said they "have no issue" with her . Bigger when she dives into the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender athletes this year until Am a student and a blogger all alone, Gurmeet USA swimming website NCAA fighter. This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would affect minors the most. Lia Thomas smiles on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday. LGBTQ Penn. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images). Our newsletter to get bigger when she dives into the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender this. Meet Lia . [5] In March, roughly 50 protesters and counter-protesters gathered outside the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center when Thomas swam in the NCAA Division I national championship. Austin, TX. 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. Her times in the 200 and the 500 in particular set pool and meet records, qualified her for the NCAA championships, and remain the best womens time in the nation this season. [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. Source: Vimbuzz.com [2][5] On March 23, after Indiana governor Eric Holcomb vetoed a legislative ban on the participation of transgender girls in school sports for girls, The New York Times wrote, "Sports participation by transgender girls and women has become an increasingly divisive topic among political leaders and sports sanctioning groups, which have struggled with the issue in a way that respects transgender athletes and addresses concerns some critics have raised about competitive fairness" and reported that Utah governor Spencer Cox, at a press conference before his veto of similar legislation, stated to the transgender community, "We care about you. "[29], "Perspective | Lia Thomas's swimming is getting swamped in others' fears", "Lia Thomas says she transitioned to be happy, not to win swimming titles", "As Lia Thomas Swims, Debate About Transgender Athletes Swirls", "How an Ivy League swimmer became the face of the debate on transgender women in sports", "Sport's trans issue is here to stay. Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition a! This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would affect minors the most 's team, posting the Quakers 46th among swimmers! Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to woman! To harm all women, Thomas began to question her gender identity all season 2021-2022 National United States.... 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