On Thursday, one of Will “Lia” Thomas’ former teammates at the University of Pennsylvania, Paula Scanlan, spoke at a congressional hearing surrounding “gender-affirming care.” In the hearing, Scanlan testified about the impact that sharing a locker room with a male had on her as a survivor of sexual assault.
“Today, any discussion maintaining the sanctity of women’s spaces is labeled ‘transphobic,’ ‘bigoted,’ and ‘hateful.’ What’s bigoted and hateful is the discrimination against women and the efforts to erase women and our equal opportunities, dignity, and safe spaces,” Scanlan, a spokeswoman with the Independent Women's Forum, told a House Judiciary subcommittee at the hearing this week.
“This is not hypothetical. This is real. I know women who have lost roster spots and spots on the podium. I know of women with sexual trauma who are adversely impacted by having biological males in their locker room without their consent. I know this because I am one of these women. I was sexually assaulted on June 3 of 2016. I was only 16 years old. I was able to forgive my attacker. The violence against women still exists,” she revealed. “As a sexual assault survivor, many policies pushed today completely ignore my experiences and many women like me.”
Paula Scanlan, Lia Thomas' teammate at UPenn, drops a BOMB on Congress. As a victim of previous sexual assault, having an intact & exposed man undressing inches away from her is traumatic in ways some could never understand.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 27, 2023
Our experience is not hypothetical & it's not unique. pic.twitter.com/dZnFqWgSQD
In the hearing, Scanlan pointed out that Thomas began dominating the sport after he joined the women’s team. Competing on the men’s team was a different story.
“In September of 2021 Lia Thomas began participating as a member of the Penn women’s team. Lia, formerly ‘Will,’ had personal best times in every freestyle event that were faster than the women’s world records. Once the season began, Thomas was leading the country in multiple events, but only placing in the top 500 in those events on the men’s team,” adding that he later became an NCAA champion on the women’s team.
Scanlan added that she and her teammates were “forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a 6 foot 4 tall biological male, fully intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week.”
“When we tried to voice our concerns to the [Penn] athletic department, we were told that Lia swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable and we were offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a man.”
WOMEN'S SPORTS ACTIVIST PAULA SCANLAN:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 27, 2023
"We were told that Lia swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable, and we were offered psychological services to attempt to reeducate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male." pic.twitter.com/pA42el4J78
During the hearing, Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen (TN) said that women’s spaces need “some type of barriers.”
“I think Penn didn’t deal with your situation like that could have and should have,” Cohen told Scanlan.
Democrat rep. Cohen says putting "some type of barriers" in women's lockers will be the solution for biological males to change in front of women pic.twitter.com/WQp2Wf8Imp
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 27, 2023
Townhall previously covered how Scanlan opened up to Matt Walsh about her experience.
“There was something going on in that athletic department that wanted to keep us quiet. And I was like, ‘this is getting scary,’” Scanlan told Walsh. She said that girls were told in a meeting with school officials, without Thomas present, “do not talk to the media, you will regret it.”
“They effectively silenced us even within talking to each other,” she said, adding that she held out hope that an institution like the NCAA would step in and “do the right thing.” Instead, the NCAA, as well as other institutions, allowed Thomas to continue to compete.
“Looking back, I don’t know why I ever even trusted that they might,” Scanlan acknowledged. “These institutions failed us.”
Scanlan shared a statement with Townhall after Thursday’s congressional hearing.
“I thought the hearing went well and I was glad I was given an opportunity to share my story,” she explained. “It was interesting that Rep. Cohen acknowledged us women needed to be separated from men. I have hesitated talking about the locker room as it is something that is really challenging to process. Requiring girls and women to share their private spaces with men is unacceptable and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I am speaking out now because I don’t want any other girl to experience this injustice and we must protect future generations.”