On Friday, Olympic silver medalist Erica Sullivan, who competed in the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, penned an op-ed explaining how biological male athlete William “Lia” Thomas, who competed as a woman on the University of Pennsylvania team at the championships and came in first place in a race, “[deserves] to be respected and included” as a female athlete.
In the piece, published in Newsweek, Sullivan started off by explaining how she saw her “wildest dreams come true” as she competed at the Tokyo Olympics as “an out gay silver medalist.” She wrote that she felt grateful that coming out as gay never hindered her from being able to participate in competitive swimming. That’s when she claimed that transgender athletes, like Thomas, “should not be excluded from this opportunity.”
"Throughout my life, swimming has enabled me to learn so much both in and out of the pool, and transgender athletes should not be excluded from this opportunity. All those days and nights spent practicing taught me the importance of hard work and discipline. The love and support of my teammates taught me the power of being part of something bigger than just myself. And reaching the Olympics reminded me that athletes have a global voice, and that the world is listening to what we have to say.
I have been given a platform to advocate for my community, and I can't sit silently by as I see a fellow swimmer's fundamental rights be put up for debate. All swimmers embody a diverse set of identities and characteristics. What makes us each unique also contributes to our success in the pool. Yet no one questions the validity of how cisgender athletes' unique traits and skills, or who they are, contribute to their success. However, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas has been unfairly targeted for just that—for being who she is, a transgender woman.
Like anyone else in this sport, Lia has trained diligently to get to where she is and has followed all of the rules and guidelines put before her. Like anyone else in this sport, Lia doesn't win every time. And when she does, she deserves, like anyone else in this sport, to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labeled a cheater simply because of her identity."
As Townhall covered last week, Thomas was lauded by the mainstream media for winning an NCAA Division I title after finishing first in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event. Thomas finished the race in 4 minutes, 33:24. In second place was Emma Weyant, who attends University of Virginia. Sullivan placed third.
In the op-ed, Sullivan argued that biological male athletes are not a threat to women’s sports. She claimed that sexual abuse and harassment, unequal pay, and lack of women in leadership are the “real threats” and that “transgender girls and women are nowhere on the list.” However, Townhall covered how a member of the UPenn team spoke anonymously to Daily Mail where she said that Thomas “still has male body parts and is still attracted to women.” And last week, nonprofit legislative action committee Concerned Women for American filed a Civil Rights Complaint against UPenn for allowing Thomas to compete with women and fostering a “hostile environment to fester in its locker room.”
Sullivan wrapped up by stating that she was one of 300 athletes who signed an open letter this year supporting Thomas’ participation in women’s sports, which Townhall covered.
“At the NCAA championships, I'll be cheering on Lia and all of the amazing swimmers that make this sport great by being authentically and proudly themselves,” she concluded.
This week, as Katie reported, Olympian and Virginia Tech athlete Reka Gyorgy shredded the NCAA after she missed placement in the finals for the race Thomas won. Gyorgy came in 17th place. Only the top 16 swimmers in the race were considered.
"My name is Reka Gyorgy from Hungary. I am a 2016 Rio Olympian, represented Virginia Tech for the past 5 years, a 2 time ACC Champion, 2 time All-American and 3 time Honorable Mention All-American," Gyorgy wrote in a letter. "I’m writing this letter right now in hopes that the NCAA will open their eyes and change these rules in the future. It doesn’t promote our sport in a good way and I think it is disrespectful against the biologically female swimmers who are competing in the NCAA."
“Every event that transgender athlete competed in was one spot taken away from biological females throughout the meet,” she added. “I ask that the NCAA takes time to think about all the other biological women in swimming, try to think how they would feel if they would be in our shoes. Make the right changes for our sport and for a better future in swimming.”
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