And this is where the big debate begins. Lia Thomas (born 1998/1999) is a University of Pennsylvania student and a swimmer. The new rule threatened to make Thomas ineligible to compete at NCAA championships in March. Inside Harvard Universitys Blodgett Pool, not far from a large banner reading 8 Against Hate, referring to the Ivys eight schools, her victories in the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, the 200-yard freestyle on Friday and the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday showed a star athlete going about her business. In 2021, the largely conservative media began to feature Thomas extensively. An anonymous letter purportedly written on behalf of 16 of her 40 Penn teammates earlier this month criticized what they saw as her unfair advantage, saying they supported her gender transition out of the pool but not necessarily in it. Maybe they should worry less about labels and words and more about the fact that theyre digging their own graves and handing their executioners the guns by straddling that particular fence. 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. 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. The University of Pennsylvania's. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images). ", while social media users responded by pointing out Jenner has previously expressed support for transgender athletes and has competed in women's golf. Lia Thomas stood tall and smiled wide atop the championship podium, her nearly 6-foot-4 frame pushing her head past the top of the Ivy Leagues green photo backdrop. [39], In 2021, conservative and right-wing media began widely covering Thomas, including Fox News. In a column on the matter for the conservative Daily Mail newspaper, Davis also incorrectly said that Thomas was 6 ft 4 in tall; she is actually 6 ft 1 in. [22][23][24] Thomas did not break any records at the NCAA event, while Kate Douglass broke 18 NCAA records. She was also ranked #49 in men's 1650 and #98 in men's 500. I read that and I cried, he told CNN on Friday morning at a coffee shop in Somerville, Massachusetts. We are whole people.. As. Im all for transgender rights but this is ridiculous. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000) is an American swimmer. The Austin, Texas, native began swimming at 5 years old and was a star athlete long before her gender transition. Dominant University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas wants to compete beyond college. But not everyone was . She would have finished first in the women 's 500-yards freestyle in 2022 Thomas! Login Register. She cheered on and high-fived teammates, chatted with coaches and fellow swimmers and sped past the competition on her way to three individual titles. In a phone call with CNN, Hogshead-Makar said its important to consider why we have womens sports in the first place. He declined to go into detail on their conversations alone, Gurmeet their voice though not after! 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. Check his then photos below. Hadwin: Winnings| Money list| Moose jaw| how old is freestyle on Thursday hello, i am a and! Aqua Sphere Seal Kid 2 Blue Lens, Transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas was crushed in the 100-meter breaststroke, finishing fifth, after being beaten by another transgender swimmer who is transitioning from female to male. 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. With each victory, Thomas, a transgender woman who previously swam for Penns mens team, has brought renewed attention to the ongoing debate on trans womens participation in sports and the balance between inclusion and fair play. In the 20212022 season, those ranks are now, when competing in the women's team, 5 in the 200 freestyle, first in the 500 freestyle, and eight in the 1650 freestyle. He should be Castrated if he wants to compete with real women. Featured Image Credit: UPenn. Feb 16. They have remained in contact, though he declined to go into detail on their conversations. [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. [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. In addition, over 300 current and former swimmers, collegiate and elite, signed their names to an open letter defending her ability to compete. Discovery Company. Thomas was breaking records, according to the Washington Post. at Ivy League Championship Day Three. !, KILLING WOMANS SPORT, KICK EM OUT THEY ARESTILL MALES!!! In September 2014, for example, Fallon Fox, a mixed martial arts athlete who transitioned from male to female fought Tamikka Brents. USA Swimming issues new policy on elite transgender athletes. Thomas told SwimSwam she realized she was trans the summer of 2018, but kept it secret, wary that coming out would take away her ability to swim. The NCAA rules regarding trans women competing in women's sports have been around for 10- plus years. Will Thomas, who only recently changed his gender to Lia Thomas, basically defeated biological female swimmers. When media have tried to reach out to us, these journalists have been told that the coaches and athletes were prohibited from talking to them. We love you. That with a time of 04:34.61 a link to the Penn swimmers in the Ivy League at. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who made headlinesafter winningan NCAA Division I national championship, responded tocritics who say that she gained an unfair advantage competing against women. A Warner Bros. Hello, I am Gurmeet singh , Blogger from Jammu, India. 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. 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. ", "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=1141620673, 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Championship, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:56. 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