Swimmer Lia Thomas May Lose Titles After UPenn Agrees to Ban Trans Athletes
Lia Thomas and Donald Trump (Photo Via Imagn Images)

Lia Thomas is speaking out now. The former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, who ignited a national debate on transgender athletes in women’s sports, has hit back at critics and slammed Donald Trump’s latest move to block trans women from competing in sports.

Speaking on WHYY, Thomas didn’t mention Trump by name, but her message was crystal clear. “You don’t get to pick and choose when you see me as a woman,” she said. “You don’t get to say, ‘You can be a woman in these situations, but not in these,’ You would never do that to a cis woman.”

Her comments come after Trump, who returned to the White House last year, signed an executive order banning trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. He campaigned on that very promise, calling it a fight to “protect women’s competition.”

Thomas Pushes Back Against Critics

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Swimmer Lia Thomas (Photo By Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
Thomas knows exactly what it’s like to be in the middle of the controversy. In 2021-22, she became the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national title after moving from Penn’s men’s team to the women’s team. Her wins set off strong debates about fairness, biology, and inclusion in sports.

Now, with Trump’s order reigniting those arguments, Thomas is pushing back harder than ever. She dismissed claims that trans women have an unfair advantage because of male puberty.

“There are massive losses to muscle mass, strength, and endurance,” she said. “To make blanket statements like, ‘You shouldn’t compete in women’s sports,’ is both transphobic and not reflective of the realities of being trans and being on HRT.”

The University of Pennsylvania has since aligned with Trump’s policy, agreeing not to allow trans athletes to compete and even stripping Thomas of her past titles. But Thomas isn’t retreating.

She also opened up about a deeply personal moment coming out to her girlfriend during college. “That might have been the first time I said, ‘I’m trans’ out loud,” she shared. “It was a huge milestone, and she was incredibly supportive.”

Thomas is quite vulnerable regarding the whole situation going on. As the debate over gender and sports heats up again, she’s reminding people that there’s a real person behind these and someone still fighting to be accepted for who she is.