The outraged parents of University of Pennsylvania swimmers have called on the NCAA and officials at UPenn to make changes to the rules that allow transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to dominate the competition.
Biological-male Thomas competed as a man until last year, before switching to the female team and smashing several records.
โAt stake here is the integrity of womenโs sports,โ the parents wrote in a letter to the NCAA and UPenn.
โThe precedent being set, one in which women do not have a protected and equitable space to compete, is a direct threat to female athletes in every sport.
โWhat are the boundaries?
โHow is this in line with the NCAAโs commitment to providing a fair environment for student-athletes?
โIt is the responsibility of the NCAA to address the matter with an official statement.
โAs the governing body, it is unfair and irresponsible to leave the onus on Lia, Liaโs teammates, Liaโs coaches, UPenn athletics and the Ivy League.
โAnd it is unfair and irresponsible to Lia to allow the media to dictate the narrative without the participation of the NCAA.โ
One parent, who asked not to be identified told the DailyMail.com, said โThe swimmers have mixed feelings.
โMany of them want to speak up, but they donโt because they believe theyโll be ostracized.
โEverybody is scared.
โParents are also scared that the kids will be harmed.
โWe are paying $80,000 for this school.
โTheir life will be impacted.โ
One mother told The Daily Mail: โI think that transgender people have a right to compete, but they need to have their own league.
โBeing fair to one group of people shouldnโt take rights away from another group, and thatโs whatโs happening here.
โThe NCAA obviously didnโt think much about the rules they set.
โItโs not fair to the women on the team and itโs not fair to Lia as well.
โShe went through transition, and I admire her bravery.
โBut the records she sets now are not valued records, female records.โ
The letter was sent on Dec 5.
The NCAA did not respond but The University of Pennsylvania did:
โPlease know that we fully support all our swimming student-athletes and want to help our community navigate Liaโs success in the pool this winter.
Penn Athletics is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our student-athletes, coaches and staff and we hold true to that commitment today and in the future.
โWeโve encouraged our student-athletes to utilize the robust resources available to them at Penn, and Iโd like to share them with you as well.โ
According to the New York Post: โIn the finals, Thomas notched a winning time of 4:34.06 โ good enough for a new Ivy League record. The swimmer continued smashing records on Saturday with a nearly 7-second victory in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.93 โ representing the fastest finish in the country, the school said.โ
Lia Thomas said to Penn Today earlier: โOne of my big concerns for trans people is feeling alone. Even if you donโt pay attention to the news about states proposing and passing vicious anti-trans legislation, it can feel very lonely and overwhelming.
โSwimming is a huge part of my life and who I am.
โIโve been a swimmer since I was five years old.
โThe process of coming out as being trans and continuing to swim was a lot of uncertainty and unknown around an area thatโs usually really solid.
โRealizing I was trans threw that into question. Was I going to keep swimming? What did that look like?
โBeing trans has not affected my ability to do this sport and being able to continue is very rewarding,โ she said.
PennAthletics said:โโBecause of her strong swims in the 200 and 500 free this weekend, she will have a chance to become the first transgender student-athlete to be a Division I All American or even national champion.โ
UPenn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas says it's completely fair to compete against women:
"Everybody is able to compete in the category theyโre most comfortable with unless thereโs a proven unfair advantage that they have." pic.twitter.com/JGzeUZ0SnG
โ Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 9, 2021
UPenn parents pen poignant letter demanding the NCAA change rules for trans athlete Lia Thomas https://t.co/A8LcmObLyQ
โ Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) December 16, 2021
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