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Former UPenn Swimmer: ‘Me Too’ Activists Have ‘Abandoned Protecting Women’

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  August 31, 2023 1:15 PM

This week, a former teammate of Will “Lia” Thomas published an op-ed detailing the hypocrisy she’s faced from those who are so-called “woke” for pushing back against the idea that men should not be allowed to play in women’s sports or use their locker rooms, just years after the “Me Too” movement.

The swimmer, Paula Scanlan, published her thoughts in the British paper The Telegraph. Scanlan pointed out that that the #MeToo movement that began in 2017 came in response to “horrific revelations of sexual abuse in Hollywood.” But, since then, the left is allowing women to be erased altogether (via The Telegraph):

The politics of womanhood has become increasingly bizarre in the aftermath of the #MeToo revolution. In 2020, the otherwise left-leaning British author JK Rowling fired the tweet heard around the world when she mildly criticised the excesses of the transgender rights movement. Like me, Rowling is a victim of sexual violence, and felt that the admission of male bodies into women-only spaces could pose a risk.

[...]

It was not long ago that Americans across the political spectrum, including many left-leaning women involved in the #MeToo movement, recognised that male bodies pose an inherent risk to women’s safety. While we should all balk at broad-stroke mischaracterisations of trans-identifying people as all being potentially violent, we should keep in mind that the inherent biological characteristics and functions of male bodies pose a risk.

Given today’s shift, a man – perhaps a domestic abuser with no history of gender dysphoria – could potentially follow his female victim to a women-only shelter, and those tasked with safeguarding would be powerless to deny him entry to what once was a sacred safe space. After-all, he only need tell them that he identifies as a woman to gain entry.

It’s worth mentioning that people who identify as transgender are also disproportionately victims of sexual violence. There should be safe spaces for all people who are at risk of violence, including men. But we can make thoughtful accommodations for all people without a wholesale redefinition of womanhood. Crucially, we must never force women to relive the trauma of their sexual assault by undressing in front of transgender women, as was the case for me and Lia Thomas.

Last month, Townhall covered how Scanlan spoke at a congressional hearing surrounding irreversible, experimental “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.

“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."

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Earlier this month, Scanlan, as well as Riley Gaines, were attacked by “unhinged” protestors who were opposing an act to protect the integrity of women’s sports in Texas.