Lia Thomas Sets Records in 100 Freestyle; Completes Ivy League Triple For Swimmer of Meet Honors
The final night of the Ivy League Championships featured a battle of transgender athletes for the title in the 100-yard freestyle. Ultimately, it was the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas who prevailed over Yale’s Iszac Henig, with Thomas adding to her previous victories at the meet. Thomas established a meet, pool and school record of 47.63, which was quick enough to defeat Henig, who touched the wall in 47.82. Princeton’s Nikki Venema was the third-place finisher, as she clocked a time of 48.81.
Henig had a slight lead over Thomas at the midway mark, with the Yale swimmer splitting 23.06 and Thomas going 23.17. But over the last half of the race, Thomas was too strong and pulled ahead of Henig, a back-half split of 24.46 getting the job done. Henig registered a split of 24.76 for the last 50 yards.
The showdown in the 100 freestyle marked the first clash of the meet between the transgender swimmers in an individual event, although they raced head-to-head on the leadoff leg of the 800 freestyle relay. In the relay, Thomas also got the best of Henig. Thomas is a first-year member of the Penn women’s team, following three years as a member of the Quakers’ men’s program. Thomas’ participation on a women’s team has generated considerable controversy, due to undergoing male puberty and now competing against biological females. Henig, meanwhile, is a third-year member of Yale’s women’s team and transitioned to male at the beginning of last year.
Thomas had a decision to make for the final day of competition: Contest the 1650 freestyle or the 100 freestyle, and she went with the shorter distance. Thomas previously won the 200 free and 500 free at the Ivy Champs, each victory claimed in dominant fashion. If Thomas is declared eligible for the NCAA Championships, her event schedule will likely include a substitution, as the longer event is Thomas’ better discipline.
Thomas’ participation at NCAAs will hinge on her testosterone threshold, which must measure 10 nmols/L. That target is considerably higher than the typical testosterone threshold of a biological female, that range usually sitting at .5 to 2.4 nmols/L. In its recently released guidelines for transgender participation, USA Swimming set the testosterone threshold at 5 nmols/L. The NCAA opted to defy that ruling, despite initially indicating it would comply with USA Swimming bylaws.
Henig has not drawn nearly the attention of Thomas since he has not taken any testosterone boosters which would aid performance. Because of this decision, and based on NCAA rules, Henig had the choice to compete as a member of either Yale’s men’s team or the school’s women’s squad.
Thomas also helped Penn to victory in the 400 freestyle relay, her leadoff leg of 48.14 putting the Quakers in command. Thomas was joined by Margot Kaczorowski, Hannah Kannan and Camryn Carter.
In other events, Harvard’s Felicia Pasadyn won the 200 backstroke in 1:53.58 and Penn’s Catherine Buroker completed her distance double by winning the 1650 freestyle in 16:21.17. Buroker had already won the 1000 freestyle and finished second behind Thomas in the 500 freestyle. Harvard’s Aleksandra Denisenko prevailed in the 200 breaststroke in 2:11.93 and Harvard’s Abigail Carr placed first in the 200 butterfly in 1:57.26.
Harvard won the team title over Yale and Penn.
Event 15 Women 1650 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
Meet Record: M 15:57.34 2009 Alicia Aemisegger (Princeton)
Pool Record: P 15:50.23 1981 Kim Linehan (Longhorn)
NCAA A Std: A 15:52.41
NCAA B Std: B 16:30.59
Name Year School Seed Finals Points
=========================================================================
1 Buroker, Catherine SO Penn 16:23.72 16:21.17B 32
27.17 56.00 (28.83)
1:25.19 (29.19) 1:54.75 (29.56)
2:24.31 (29.56) 2:54.06 (29.75)
3:23.72 (29.66) 3:53.24 (29.52)
4:22.67 (29.43) 4:52.10 (29.43)
5:21.59 (29.49) 5:51.10 (29.51)
6:20.59 (29.49) 6:49.99 (29.40)
7:19.58 (29.59) 7:49.19 (29.61)
8:18.97 (29.78) 8:48.78 (29.81)
9:18.67 (29.89) 9:48.45 (29.78)
10:18.36 (29.91) 10:48.11 (29.75)
11:18.01 (29.90) 11:47.85 (29.84)
12:18.02 (30.17) 12:48.23 (30.21)
13:18.67 (30.44) 13:49.01 (30.34)
14:19.31 (30.30) 14:49.54 (30.23)
15:20.12 (30.58) 15:50.81 (30.69) 16:21.17 (30.36)
2 Marquardt, Ellie SO Princeton 16:34.66 16:28.22B 28
27.57 56.78 (29.21)
1:26.19 (29.41) 1:55.76 (29.57)
2:25.44 (29.68) 2:55.10 (29.66)
3:24.81 (29.71) 3:54.29 (29.48)
4:23.88 (29.59) 4:53.48 (29.60)
5:23.45 (29.97) 5:52.90 (29.45)
6:22.92 (30.02) 6:52.79 (29.87)
7:22.97 (30.18) 7:52.82 (29.85)
8:22.96 (30.14) 8:53.31 (30.35)
9:23.74 (30.43) 9:53.97 (30.23)
10:24.24 (30.27) 10:54.55 (30.31)
11:24.97 (30.42) 11:55.36 (30.39)
12:25.79 (30.43) 12:56.47 (30.68)
13:26.85 (30.38) 13:57.12 (30.27)
14:27.78 (30.66) 14:58.21 (30.43)
15:28.11 (29.90) 15:58.60 (30.49) 16:28.22 (29.62)
3 Kalandadze, Anna Sofi JR Penn 16:31.12 16:28.85B 27
27.05 56.23 (29.18)
1:25.42 (29.19) 1:55.10 (29.68)
2:24.66 (29.56) 2:54.39 (29.73)
3:23.95 (29.56) 3:53.68 (29.73)
4:23.51 (29.83) 4:53.25 (29.74)
5:23.24 (29.99) 5:53.22 (29.98)
6:23.47 (30.25) 6:53.66 (30.19)
7:23.90 (30.24) 7:54.17 (30.27)
8:24.35 (30.18) 8:54.52 (30.17)
9:24.68 (30.16) 9:55.08 (30.40)
10:25.51 (30.43) 10:55.86 (30.35)
11:26.21 (30.35) 11:56.74 (30.53)
12:26.96 (30.22) 12:57.24 (30.28)
13:27.71 (30.47) 13:58.18 (30.47)
14:28.42 (30.24) 14:58.94 (30.52)
15:29.41 (30.47) 15:59.59 (30.18) 16:28.85 (29.26)
4 Loomis, Ashley SR Yale NT 16:36.57 26
27.28 56.67 (29.39)
1:26.25 (29.58) 1:56.11 (29.86)
2:26.35 (30.24) 2:56.41 (30.06)
3:26.51 (30.10) 3:57.01 (30.50)
4:27.35 (30.34) 4:58.10 (30.75)
5:28.51 (30.41) 5:58.94 (30.43)
6:29.33 (30.39) 6:59.47 (30.14)
7:29.94 (30.47) 8:00.62 (30.68)
8:31.21 (30.59) 9:01.49 (30.28)
9:32.03 (30.54) 10:02.65 (30.62)
10:32.99 (30.34) 11:03.58 (30.59)
11:34.07 (30.49) 12:04.48 (30.41)
12:34.84 (30.36) 13:05.31 (30.47)
13:35.77 (30.46) 14:06.24 (30.47)
14:36.72 (30.48) 15:07.31 (30.59)
15:37.81 (30.50) 16:07.85 (30.04) 16:36.57 (28.72)
5 Giddings, Grace SR Penn 16:44.50 16:37.79 25
28.37 58.12 (29.75)
1:28.35 (30.23) 1:58.35 (30.00)
2:28.56 (30.21) 2:58.73 (30.17)
3:28.71 (29.98) 3:58.90 (30.19)
4:29.31 (30.41) 4:59.72 (30.41)
5:30.03 (30.31) 6:00.34 (30.31)
6:30.83 (30.49) 7:01.12 (30.29)
7:31.15 (30.03) 8:01.40 (30.25)
8:31.48 (30.08) 9:01.52 (30.04)
9:31.58 (30.06) 10:01.82 (30.24)
10:31.85 (30.03) 11:02.10 (30.25)
11:32.45 (30.35) 12:02.80 (30.35)
12:33.30 (30.50) 13:03.82 (30.52)
13:34.48 (30.66) 14:05.04 (30.56)
14:35.82 (30.78) 15:06.53 (30.71)
15:37.41 (30.88) 16:07.95 (30.54) 16:37.79 (29.84)
6 Girotto, Amelia FR Penn 17:11.04 16:41.17 24
28.46 58.70 (30.24)
1:29.15 (30.45) 1:59.83 (30.68)
2:30.30 (30.47) 3:00.62 (30.32)
3:30.93 (30.31) 4:01.14 (30.21)
4:31.31 (30.17) 5:01.46 (30.15)
5:31.67 (30.21) 6:01.97 (30.30)
6:32.11 (30.14) 7:02.17 (30.06)
7:32.47 (30.30) 8:02.84 (30.37)
8:33.54 (30.70) 9:04.34 (30.80)
9:34.91 (30.57) 10:05.52 (30.61)
10:36.00 (30.48) 11:06.59 (30.59)
11:37.05 (30.46) 12:07.47 (30.42)
12:37.96 (30.49) 13:08.53 (30.57)
13:39.15 (30.62) 14:09.98 (30.83)
14:40.71 (30.73) 15:11.28 (30.57)
15:42.09 (30.81) 16:12.46 (30.37) 16:41.17 (28.71)
7 Barrett, Sara FR Brown 16:46.54 16:47.86 23
28.02 57.77 (29.75)
1:27.91 (30.14) 1:57.88 (29.97)
2:28.23 (30.35) 2:58.91 (30.68)
3:29.22 (30.31) 3:59.29 (30.07)
4:29.76 (30.47) 5:00.22 (30.46)
5:30.65 (30.43) 6:00.89 (30.24)
6:31.60 (30.71) 7:02.22 (30.62)
7:33.12 (30.90) 8:04.13 (31.01)
8:34.93 (30.80) 9:05.79 (30.86)
9:36.71 (30.92) 10:07.46 (30.75)
10:38.39 (30.93) 11:09.28 (30.89)
11:40.29 (31.01) 12:11.86 (31.57)
12:43.15 (31.29) 13:13.94 (30.79)
13:45.28 (31.34) 14:16.67 (31.39)
14:47.87 (31.20) 15:18.84 (30.97)
15:49.17 (30.33) 16:18.95 (29.78) 16:47.86 (28.91)
8 Minnigh, Sarah JR Dartmouth 17:40.40 16:48.35 22
27.52 57.01 (29.49)
1:27.26 (30.25) 1:57.73 (30.47)
2:28.27 (30.54) 2:58.82 (30.55)
3:29.19 (30.37) 3:59.89 (30.70)
4:30.58 (30.69) 5:01.34 (30.76)
5:32.42 (31.08) 6:03.30 (30.88)
6:34.11 (30.81) 7:04.91 (30.80)
7:35.73 (30.82) 8:06.59 (30.86)
8:37.38 (30.79) 9:08.40 (31.02)
9:39.20 (30.80) 10:09.93 (30.73)
10:40.73 (30.80) 11:11.58 (30.85)
11:42.43 (30.85) 12:13.42 (30.99)
12:44.13 (30.71) 13:14.67 (30.54)
13:45.52 (30.85) 14:16.09 (30.57)
14:46.86 (30.77) 15:17.38 (30.52)
15:47.83 (30.45) 16:18.40 (30.57) 16:48.35 (29.95)
Event 16 Women 200 Yard Backstroke
=========================================================================
Meet Record: M 1:52.56 2020 Felicia Pasadyn (Harvard)
Pool Record: P 1:54.64 2018 Quinn Scannell (Pennsylvania)
NCAA A Std: A 1:50.50
NCAA B Std: B 1:57.11
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Pasadyn, Felicia SR Harvard 1:55.69 1:53.58P 32
26.02 54.39 (28.37)
1:23.63 (29.24) 1:53.58 (29.95)
2 Massey, Alexandra FR Yale 1:58.02 1:57.39 28
28.11 58.12 (30.01)
1:27.96 (29.84) 1:57.39 (29.43)
3 Murphy, Quinn FR Yale 1:58.09 1:57.42 27
27.64 57.48 (29.84)
1:27.61 (30.13) 1:57.42 (29.81)
4 Whitmire, Liza SO Princeton 1:57.08 1:57.44 26
28.02 57.68 (29.66)
1:27.49 (29.81) 1:57.44 (29.95)
5 Kannan, Hannah SR Penn 1:57.61 1:57.54 25
27.54 57.65 (30.11)
1:27.45 (29.80) 1:57.54 (30.09)
6 Korbly, Isabella FR Princeton 1:57.97 1:57.71 24
27.35 57.25 (29.90)
1:27.59 (30.34) 1:57.71 (30.12)
7 Pruden, Mary SR Columbia 1:58.65 1:59.13 23
28.45 58.59 (30.14)
1:28.85 (30.26) 1:59.13 (30.28)
8 Ganihanova, Aziza SO Columbia 1:58.16 1:59.27 22
28.31 58.68 (30.37)
1:29.03 (30.35) 1:59.27 (30.24)
Event 17 Women 100 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
Meet Record: M 47.85 2019 Bella Hindley (Yale)
Pool Record: P 48.64 2018 Miki Dahlke (Harvard)
NCAA A Std: A 47.18
NCAA B Std: B 49.51
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Thomas, Lia SR Penn 48.71 47.63M 32
23.17 47.63 (24.46)
2 Henig, Iszac JR Yale 47.80 47.82M 28
23.06 47.82 (24.76)
3 Venema, Nikki JR Princeton 49.66 48.81B 27
23.53 48.81 (25.28)
4 Hamlin, Molly FR Harvard 49.52 49.38B 26
23.98 49.38 (25.40)
5 Pilkinton, Ophelia SO Yale 49.94 49.67 25
23.97 49.67 (25.70)
6 Kaczorowski, Margot JR Penn 50.06 49.86 24
24.15 49.86 (25.71)
7 Wagner, Lindsey SO Yale 49.85 49.89 23
24.04 49.89 (25.85)
8 Post, Ashley JR Dartmouth 50.12 50.42 22
24.35 50.42 (26.07)
Event 18 Women 200 Yard Breaststroke
=========================================================================
Meet Record: M 2:08.47 2020 Jaycee Yegher (Harvard)
Pool Record: P 2:09.37 2010 Susan Kim (Yale)
NCAA A Std: A 2:06.58
NCAA B Std: B 2:13.97
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Denisenko, Aleksandra FR Harvard 2:13.78 2:11.93B 32
30.04 1:04.18 (34.14)
1:38.20 (34.02) 2:11.93 (33.73)
2 Franks, Ava FR Yale 2:15.73 2:12.79B 28
29.35 1:03.06 (33.71)
1:37.48 (34.42) 2:12.79 (35.31)
3 McDonald, Margaux SO Princeton 2:16.38 2:14.88 27
30.25 1:03.84 (33.59)
1:38.92 (35.08) 2:14.88 (35.96)
4 Pytel, Isabella FR Penn 2:16.70 2:15.11 26
31.04 1:05.86 (34.82)
1:40.11 (34.25) 2:15.11 (35.00)
5 Thompson, Mikki SR Harvard 2:14.56 2:15.46 25
31.36 1:06.27 (34.91)
1:40.56 (34.29) 2:15.46 (34.90)
6 Lukawski, Audrey SR Brown 2:16.15 2:15.82 24
31.05 1:05.55 (34.50)
1:40.18 (34.63) 2:15.82 (35.64)
7 Paoletti, Olivia JR Yale 2:16.47 2:15.87 23
31.67 1:05.62 (33.95)
1:40.25 (34.63) 2:15.87 (35.62)
8 Boeckman, Anna FR Penn 2:16.38 2:16.12 22
30.88 1:05.05 (34.17)
1:39.79 (34.74) 2:16.12 (36.33)
Event 19 Women 200 Yard Butterfly
=========================================================================
Meet Record: M 1:54.60 2013 Alex Forrester (Yale)
Pool Record: P 1:52.99 1981 Mary T. Meagher (Lakeside)
NCAA A Std: A 1:53.20
NCAA B Std: B 1:59.23
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Carr, Abigail FR Harvard 1:58.08 1:57.26B 32
26.89 56.91 (30.02)
1:26.33 (29.42) 1:57.26 (30.93)
2 Chong, Vanessa FR Penn 2:00.03 1:58.17B 28
25.93 55.45 (29.52)
1:26.20 (30.75) 1:58.17 (31.97)
3 Massey, Alexandra FR Yale 2:00.32 1:58.72B 27
26.75 57.21 (30.46)
1:27.76 (30.55) 1:58.72 (30.96)
4 Yeager, Jess SO Princeton 1:59.19 1:58.75B 26
27.02 56.98 (29.96)
1:27.74 (30.76) 1:58.75 (31.01)
5 Chidley, Nell JR Brown 1:59.97 1:59.63 25
26.70 56.84 (30.14)
1:27.64 (30.80) 1:59.63 (31.99)
6 Leko, Mia JR Dartmouth 1:57.65 1:59.70 24
26.09 55.57 (29.48)
1:26.60 (31.03) 1:59.70 (33.10)
7 Kim, Junseo FR Yale 2:00.45 1:59.92 23
26.94 57.07 (30.13)
1:28.02 (30.95) 1:59.92 (31.90)
8 Yoon, Grace FR Harvard 2:00.54 2:01.13 22
28.15 58.66 (30.51)
1:29.49 (30.83) 2:01.13 (31.64)
Event 21 Women 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
==================================================================================
Meet Record: M 3:14.48 2020 Harvard
F. Pasadyn, K. Quist, S. Shelton, M. Dahlke
Pool Record: P 3:18.25 2015 Princeton
C. McIlmail, N. Larson, E. McDonald, M. Veith
NCAA A Std: A 3:14.50
NCAA B Std: B 3:16.35
School Seed Finals Points
==================================================================================
1 Penn 3:22.50 3:17.80P 64
1) Thomas, Lia SR 2) Kaczorowski, Margot JR
3) Kannan, Hannah SR 4) Carter, Camryn JR
23.38 48.14 (48.14)
1:11.81 (23.67) 1:37.35 (49.21)
2:01.09 (23.74) 2:27.65 (50.30)
2:51.11 (23.46) 3:17.80 (50.15)
2 Harvard 3:19.40 3:19.17 56
1) Pasadyn, Felicia SR 2) Shelton, Samantha JR
3) Denisenko, Aleksandra FR 4) Hamlin, Molly FR
24.12 49.76 (49.76)
1:13.44 (23.68) 1:39.30 (49.54)
2:03.79 (24.49) 2:30.10 (50.80)
2:54.16 (24.06) 3:19.17 (49.07)
3 Yale 3:17.61 3:19.71 54
1) Pilkinton, Ophelia SO 2) Wagner, Lindsey SO
3) Weng, Vivian FR 4) Franks, Ava FR
23.83 49.56 (49.56)
1:13.02 (23.46) 1:38.79 (49.23)
2:02.89 (24.10) 2:28.63 (49.84)
2:52.75 (24.12) 3:19.71 (51.08)
4 Princeton 3:20.87 3:21.66 52
1) Bradley, Christina JR 2) Liu, Amelia JR
3) Marquardt, Ellie SO 4) Secrest, Jennifer JR
24.15 50.50 (50.50)
1:14.42 (23.92) 1:40.90 (50.40)
2:04.60 (23.70) 2:31.10 (50.20)
2:55.11 (24.01) 3:21.66 (50.56)
5 Columbia 3:23.69 3:22.44 50
1) Macdonald, Emily FR 2) Jubin, Olivia JR
3) Ganihanova, Aziza SO 4) Arevalo, Isabelle JR
24.24 50.43 (50.43)
1:14.67 (24.24) 1:41.18 (50.75)
2:05.42 (24.24) 2:32.03 (50.85)
2:56.06 (24.03) 3:22.44 (50.41)
6 Dartmouth 3:29.56 3:24.03 48
1) Post, Ashley JR 2) Leko, Mia JR
3) Howley, Mary FR 4) Wortzman, Zoe JR
24.45 50.41 (50.41)
1:14.79 (24.38) 1:42.88 (52.47)
2:06.71 (23.83) 2:33.62 (50.74)
2:57.94 (24.32) 3:24.03 (50.41)
7 Cornell 3:24.49 3:24.40 46
1) Wongso, Priscilla SO 2) Gruvberger, Anna SO
3) Tsai, Sophia FR 4) Parker, Melissa JR
24.66 51.05 (51.05)
1:15.21 (24.16) 1:42.22 (51.17)
2:06.73 (24.51) 2:34.30 (52.08)
2:57.88 (23.58) 3:24.40 (50.10)
8 Brown 3:26.68 3:25.40 44
1) Podurgiel, Anna FR 2) Scott, Samantha SO
3) Reznicek, Jenna FR 4) Orange, Audrey JR
24.65 50.95 (50.95)
1:15.27 (24.32) 1:42.16 (51.21)
2:06.69 (24.53) 2:33.62 (51.46)
2:58.62 (25.00) 3:25.40 (51.78)
Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 21
1. Harvard University 1503.5 2. Yale University 1258
3. University of Pennsylvania 1256 4. Princeton University 1074
5. Brown University 904 6. Columbia University 706.5
7. Dartmouth College 563 8. Cornell University 508
A MAN broke the women’s 100 Free “Ivy, meet, pool, and Penn program record” and to argue otherwise is absurd.
Lia races with XY chromsomes: Y biologically determines male sex in humans.
Lia races with a testosterone level that is multiples above a normal female level. The NCAA will allow a testosterone level twice as high as USA Swimming’s limit, which means Lia’s testosterone level could be 4 to 20 times a normal female level. Sounds fair!
Lia benefits from 20 years of anatomic and physiologic development as a Division I-level XY male athlete.
Yeah, so there might have been some slight advantages for Lia in this year of perverse “record-breaking” performances.
Lia spits in the faces of female athletes by dogging the races, doing just enough to “win”. Any competitive swimmer recognizes a slow stroke rate and absent kicking until just enough is needed for a final wall tap. Negative splits and “close” races tell the whole story. It is taunting and poor sportsMANship at best. Watching intelligent, powerful, and supposedly competitive XX female NCAA opponents blindly accept this is very sad commentary on the true leadership skills of these future Ivy League graduates and societal leaders.
The only true records being broken are the gross numbers of female athletes, coaches, NCAA officials, and even ESPN announcers turning a blind eye to absurdity.
I guess Title IX meant nothing to women after all these decades?
INSANITY!
So it’s worth noting that an intersex individual with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) would be considered a male athlete under your use of chromosomes as the determinant of male/female. An individual with CAIS is born with XY chromosomes, external female genitalia, undescended testes, testosterone levels in the male range, and an inability to utilize testosterone. They generally have female written on their birth certificate and generally identify as female. Most individuals with CAIS do not learn of their condition until puberty when they fail to menstruate (chromosomes usually aren’t checked when a baby is born).
Similarly, an intersex individual with XX Male Syndrome is born with XX chromosomes and, depending on how the syndrome presents, may be born with male internal and external genitalia. I think testosterone levels might be lower than endosex males, but I don’t know if the testosterone levels are still higher than the female range. These individuals generally have male written on their birth certificates and generally identify as female.
While such intersex individuals’ experiences are different from transgender individuals’ experiences, it is important to keep in mind how people whose sex or gender identity no one would think to question would be impacted by making chromosomes the method of determining which team an athlete should compete on. And if chromosomes are also used to determine which locker room an individual should use, then there might arise a situation in which an individual with XX Male Syndrome is told to use the female locker rooms despite having male on the birth certificate, identifying as a male, and having the habitus and genitals of a male.
And as individuals with CAIS show, just having testosterone levels in the male range does not mean that an individual has gained a benefit from that testosterone. So you can’t just rely on testing testosterone levels to determine sports participation–you also have to account for conditions such as CAIS to ensure that those individuals aren’t unfairly excluded.
Typo in my paragraph on XX Male Syndrome. The last word in the last sentence of that paragraph should be “male” and not “female,” as generally those with XX Male Syndrome identify as males.
Agree, absurd! Men taking over women’s sport. Shame on NCSA for allowing it!
YES!!!
UVA girls will take him down at NCAAs – all they have to do is repeat ACCs !!! Then he won’t swim anymore…because he just got beat by girls. (Sorry) – not really.
Hope this will help his teammates heal from this past year.
“Lia” could be the nicest person on earth, but that does not give “her” the right to swim against real XX female competitors. It’s completely unfair to say the least. She toys with her competitors and dogs it until the final lap or two to win her race without much effort. Any knowledgeable follow of the sport of swimming can easily see this. She is a much faster swimmer than “she” is demonstrating, much faster. She’s making a mockery of the sport and I find this very offensive on so many levels. She still has her male “private parts” and if that’s a woman, I guess I am one too. What a joke…..
Fact: William Lia Thomas is a man.
Thank you Jordan, your heartfelt comment is heard and appreciated. I agree with your sentiments.
So many of the transphobic comments are rooted in elitist segregation and wanting to keep people who don’t look like themselves out of their pool and neighborhoods. Look at the visuals of the Ivy swim teams; rich lily white. Note also how they are negative about Lia but not Henig; ask yourself why are they okay for a him to be on the her team, but not Lia (a her on the her team). The NCAA needs to desegregate completely and stop discriminating against the most gifted athletes on the basis of gender identity and race. That would surely be more inclusive and equitable.
I think if I am reading your logic correctly the guys would win all the races. For instance, the 20th fastest male 100 free time is around 41 seconds.
Season, Season, Season. Illogic does not persuade.
“Note also how they are negative about Lia but not Henig; ask yourself why are they okay for a him to be on the her team, but not Lia (a her on the her team). ”
“Lia” is a male, with man parts, who swam as a man for 3 years on the Penn men’s team. He took a few doses of hormones, kept his man parts and all of his male physical development. He is still a man, swimming on the women’s team.
Henig, on the other hand, is a biological woman who ostensibly has not taken any testosterone or transitioned to male other than having a mastectomy (which may streamline and improve her time, but meh). Henig will not be able to swim on the women’s team after beginning testosterone treatments. So why be mad at Henig?
Looking at the two cases side by side, surely you can see how ludicrous “Lia” is pretending to be a woman. As a woman, I think this exerting himself just enough to win behavior on “Lia’s” part is pathetic and cringeworthy, and he is not fooling anyone.
Because Lia is NOT a HER. He was BORN a MAN. NO amount of wishing will make him otherwise.
The truth is painful sometimes.
Also, Jordan: you are expecting everyone else to live in your heads. Biological characteristics are physical, not mental. It’s abusive when transgenders rail on people for not toeing their gender line. I’m asking you to stop abusing people for choosing physical biological makeup to determine who is a man or woman. It’s a losing proposition and just makes you look unreasonable and mean.
Amen, Alfreda!!
Jordan,
In all of the arguments against “Lia’s” participation, none have been about the decision to identify as a female. This is about fairness to FEMALE athletes. You appear, as Alfreda said, as one with the issues.
You need to understand that giving one person a huge, unfair, advantage over every other female swimmer is NOT the definition of fairness.
Jordan,
In all of the arguments against “Lia’s” participation, none have been about the decision to identify as a female. This is about fairness to FEMALE athletes. You appear, as Alfreda said, as one with the issues.
You need to understand that giving one person a huge, unfair, advantage over every other female swimmer is NOT the definition of fairness.
Jones and Alfreda. Would you not agree that the Penn swimmers being born wealthy gives them a huge unfair advantage over those born in poverty? If so, should that not be mitigated to create meaningful competition? That is, mitigate all huge unfair advantages (eg wealth) so as to allow for meaningful competition.
Season, you seem to have some agenda beyond the topic of this article which should be addressed in another forum to be meaningful and pertinent. Otherwise I can only think you are presenting some straw man to start an argument that goes nowhere and distracts from the issues being discussed here. I am not biting.
Congrats to Lia Thomas, Top Time ! Absolutely amazing ??? ??
Yes!
People speaking the truth is not being transphobic. Silencing opinions you disagree with is cowardly.
OceanSpirit, no one is silencing you. You are expressing your opinion, as is everyone else who is commenting on this article.
Season, stay on topic, please. We are not changing the subject because you can’t handle valid arguments that prove our point.
Ah, so now you’re not being silenced?