Ivy League Parents Write New Letter of Protest To NCAA’s Policy On Transgender Athletes, Treatment of Women
A large group of swimming parents from five Ivy League Schools wrote a letter to the NCAA, published in the New York Post, protesting the eligibility of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Thomas, a senior at Penn, won the 500 freestyle on Thursday. She formerly competed as a three-year member of the Penn’s men’s squad in the Ivy League. After transitioning and undergoing hormone-suppressant therapy, she joined the women’s squad at the Philadelphia school, having met antiquated NCAA guidelines that only required one year of testosterone suppression.
Debate over Thomas’ participation in women’s competition has been hot since early December, when she posted nation-leading times in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Her story was highlighted, and multiple questions arose. How is it fair for a swimmer who underwent male puberty to race against biological females? Shouldn’t Thomas be given an opportunity to race? Obviously, there are differing opinions on the topic. Olympian Erica Sullivan, who swam against Thomas, wrote a letter of support.
“(The Ivy League parents) say that Thomas, who has lived and competed primarily as a man, has an unfair advantage — but to say so invites backlash, which is why the letter signers are anonymous to protect their kids,” The Post wrote.
Here is an excerpt from the letter. Read the full letter from Ivy League parents here.
As parents of Ivy League swimmers, from men’s and women’s teams across the league, we have witnessed firsthand the utter abandonment of women and girls this year.
We are furious and most everyone in our community is furious as well. Parents, coaches, swimmers, and rational, logical people know this is grossly unfair. Female swimmers have not consented to this. In fact, many of them expressly said no. What response did they receive?
Be quiet. A new ideology ruled. “Transwomen are women” no exceptions; the girls’ concerns: “transphobic.”
They courageously spoke to coaches about the injustice they faced in the pool. They expressed how uncomfortable the locker rooms were with male nudity. When they were turned away, they went to their athletic departments and administration. They were turned away again.
More from the Ivy League parents:
Athletic associations are cautiously asking: How do we balance fairness and inclusion? And they ask scientists to tell them the precise level to which a male body needs to be impaired to compete fairly against women.
But they are asking the wrong questions. These questions are misogynistic, degrading, and dehumanizing for women. There is no balance of fairness to assess. Women deserve fairness without caveat, and they should not be asked to shoulder the mental health of others at their own expense. A male body cannot become a female body. A woman is not a disadvantaged man.
…
Women’s boundaries, women’s bodies, their fair treatment, respect and dignity are not up for reimagining by men. Women and girls are not acceptable collateral damage in social change.
It’s time to defend women.
In their letter, the Ivy League parents emphasized their appreciation to the various groups who have worked to get this issue into the spotlight and make it a critical talking point. The letter thanked Champion Women, headed by three-time Olympic champion Nancy Hogshead-Makar, the Independent Women’s Forum and the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group.
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If trans activists would just come out and admit that so-called trans-women are men and they just want to compete against women because they can beat them and it makes the men feel good we could at least respect them for being truthful instead of them pretending and wanting the world to pretend…
sad you have to change your sex just to win, very unfair. You only have to look to see the unfair advantage. If they want to compete, make there own division, like handicap Olympics? Basically Like letting an Olympic sprinter compete against the Handicapped ?
I read the NYPost story, and if these parents want others to support them, THEY need to take the first steps: get their daughters (real women) to stop participating in swim meets. Show up at meets with signs protesting. Anonymously writing stories like this is NOT enough
I don’t think people who haven’t yet been affected by gender activism understand what will happen to the women swimmers if they protest.
Kids are being indoctrinated in school to view “transphobia” as the ultimate horror, so these young women swimmers will be ostracized by their peers, then denied jobs and further educational opportunities if they stand up for themselves and for women’s swimming.
Look at what Penn and the Ivy League have done already to these girls – the girls were told to seek mental health counseling and their complaints about having a naked male body in their locker rooms were brushed aside. Why would these girls risk further punishment?
It’s up to us adults to stand up for these girls, especially those of us who are former swimmers. We need to make ourselves heard, both at the schools we ourselves swam for, and at the organizations that govern women’s sports.
I will believe that ‘Lia’ is actually transgender the day the twig and berries are removed. Right now girls on the team are forced to change and shower with an adult male body in the locker room, often naked.
Just as the runners in Connecticut were able to compete and win against actual females, they only had to supress their testosterone. If you want to be transgender, commit. Requiring transition surgery would probably eliminate most if not all of these athletes who decide that they are female in order to win.
‘Lia’ is a senior. How long after graduation until it’s Will again?
Quit calling him her he is a he and should not be permitted to swim if it keeps up all the other schools shoul not show up it’s a discrace Putin must be behind it??god will judge him someday