Lia Thomas began undergoing hormonal treatment in 2019 at the age of 21. After her testosterone levels dropped to the required level, she started racing in the women’s category, and many people did not like that. Although her times were lower than she had among men, they were still the fastest among women.
In March of this year, she even won the university championship and many of her rivals began to revolt. “It is not fair. We don’t stand a chance against her, “they agreed. But Thomas sees it differently.” Transgender athletes are not a threat to women’s sport, “she said.
GMA interviewed Lia Thomas today. Great timing. Our film features one of Thomas’s teammates. She told me that women on her team were silenced and referred to psychological counseling if they objected to having Thomas on the team. More in the full film: https://t.co/xibkNa4oHW pic.twitter.com/YRRf2S712a
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 31, 2022
“I think people have a misconception about why I went through a gender reassignment,” Thomas said. “I went to be happy and honest with myself,” she explained. As she underwent a gender reassignment, she thought her swimming career was over.
‘I don’t need anybody’s permission to be myself.
‘You can’t go halfway and be like “I support trans people but only to a certain point.”‘
‘If you support transwomen and they’ve met all the NCAA requirements, I don’t know if you can say something like that.’ pic.twitter.com/5fIAYVX7M7
– UNILAD (@UNILAD) May 31, 2022
“It simply came to our notice then. That I wasn’t sure if I could continue to do what I loved. I knew they would have reservations against me to compete with women, but I was ready for it. I don’t need anyone’s permission to be myself and do the sport I love, “she added, adding that she wanted to fight for the rights and equality of the people.
She does not like the views of Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and founder of Champion Women, who says that while seeking mutually beneficial solutions, she must still prioritize justice for biological women in sports. “It is worth defending the category for half the world’s population. Only then can we talk about ways to include transgender men and women, “said Hogshead-Makar.
But there is no middle ground, according to Thomas. “If you say that trans people can compete, you can’t put them in the extra ninth lane. It will not give them the same level of respect and equal opportunity, “says the swimmer, whose main goal is to fight for a place in the American Olympic team and participate in the Olympics in 2024.
