A member of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swim team said some team members are uncomfortable changing in the locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, according to a teammate.
Thomas, 22, who spent the previous three years swimming with the men’s team before she began transitioning to a woman, has created an uneasy environment in the locker room, as she still retains her biologically male genitalia — which are sometimes exposed — and is attracted to women, one teammate told the Daily Mail in an interview.
“It’s definitely awkward because Lia still has male body parts and is still attracted to women,” the swimmer said. Thomas has reportedly told her teammates that she dates women.
The swimmer told the outlet that other team members have spoken to the team’s coaches about possibly getting Thomas to change elsewhere from the rest of the team, but those discussions haven’t gone anywhere
“Multiple swimmers have raised it, multiple different times,” she said. “But we were basically told that we could not ostracize Lia by not having her in the locker room and that there’s nothing we can do about it, that we basically have to roll over and accept it, or we cannot use our own locker room.”
She added, “It’s really upsetting because Lia doesn’t seem to care how it makes anyone else feel. The 35 of us are just supposed to accept being uncomfortable in our own space and locker room for, like, the feelings of one.”
“The school was so focused on making sure Lia was okay, and doing everything they possibly could do for her, that they didn’t even think about the rest of us,” the teammate told the Daily Mail.
The swimmer said that Thomas “seems like she enjoys” all the attention the controversy has brought to her.
“It’s affected all of us way more than it’s affected her,” Thomas’ teammate said.
The swimmer told the outlet that most of the team is scared to speak out about their discomfort for fear of being labeled “transphobic.”
“If this gets a little bit bigger, I might go on the record, but I’m definitely a little afraid,” she said. “What I’m afraid of is that potential employers will Google my name and see commentary about things I said and think, ‘Oh, this person’s transphobic.'”
Some teammates have discussed possibly protesting a swim meet, she said, but many don’t want to possibly put their swim careers on hold after having lost a year of competition to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thomas has made a name for herself after breaking school and national records this year, prompting the NCAA to review its guidelines for transgender athletes.
The NCAA Board of Governors approved new guidelines last week that said transgender participation for each sport will be determined by the policy for the sport’s national governing body, subject to review and recommendation by an NCAA committee to the Board of Governors.
The new NCAA regulations require Thomas and transgender student-athletes to document testosterone levels, which must meet sport-specific levels, four weeks before their sport’s championship selections.
USA Swimming, the sport’s national governing body, said in a statement last week that it will determine whether transgender male and female athletes can compete against those who are biologically male or female. The organization oversees over 360,000 coaches, volunteers and swimmers from young age groups up to the Olympic level.
“USA Swimming firmly believes in inclusivity and the opportunity for all athletes to experience the sport of swimming in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity and expression. We also strongly believe in competitive equity, and, like many, are doing our best to learn and educate ourselves on the appropriate balance in this space,” the organization said.
The swimmer who spoke with the Daily Mail said she’s happy that the NCAA has “passed the buck” on the issue.
“USA Swimming is more conservative and they have stakes in the game,” she said. “These are people who swam their whole lives, who have kids and daughters who swim, and they see what this is doing to the swim community.”
She told the outlet she hoped the organization would make a decision before the NCAA swimming and diving championships in March, where Thomas is set to race and possibly break records in the women’s 200-yard, 500-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle.
“It’s definitely important that we don’t set this precedent,” she said. “I think it’s important that women and also little girls aren’t looking up and saying, ‘Well, I don’t actually have a chance to win.’ ”
The swimmer called for an “open category” in which Thomas could compete with male swimmers but not have to compete in the “men’s category.”
