The parents of a female swimmer reacted to Lia Thomas’ NCAA championship win, saying it is “just not right.”
Thomas, a transgender woman, became the first known transgender athlete to win a Division I national championship, as ESPN reported.
The mother of an Auburn University swimmer told Fox News, “We do not support a biological male swimming in the women’s championship meet against females.”
She added, “It is an unfair advantage.”
The swimmer’s father chimed in, saying, “It’s taking opportunity away from females that have worked very, very hard for a long, long time, even before college, to get in this position. It’s just not right.”
Watch the video below:
Parents of a female swimmer say “it’s just not right” that a biological male is allowed to swim against their daughter.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 18, 2022
“It’s taking opportunity away from females that have worked very, very hard for a long, long time." pic.twitter.com/nyDoT1VIWv
Thomas commented on the criticism during an interview with ESPN.
“I try to ignore it as much as I can,” Thomas said. “I try to focus on my swimming, what I need to do to get ready for my races. Just try to block out everything else.”
Sixteen of Thomas’ teammates penned a letter expressing their frustration with the unfair advantage Thomas holds.
“We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman,” the letter stated. “Lia has every right to live her life authentically. However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someone’s gender identity.”
It continued, “Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the women’s category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female. If she were to be eligible to compete against us, she could now break Penn, Ivy, and NCAA Women’s Swimming records; feats she could never have done as a male athlete.”