Lia Thomas has broken three school records at the University of Pennsylvania this year alone. In fact, she has already been clocked at a faster speed than Olympic champion Katie Ledecky back when she was a college athlete.
The success of the transgender athlete has generated pride amongst the LBGTQ+ population as well as an outpouring of support from outside of her community. But nevertheless, not everyone is celebrating Lia Thomas's historic rise up the ranks of female collegiate sports. The rate at which she is defeating her competition and breaking numerous records has caused quite a stir amongst the parents of the young women that she has been competing with and against.
On December 5th, a group of unhappy parents penned a letter to the NCAA in order to protest Lia Thomas' eligibility in women's college sports. In the letter, they claimed Thomas -- who competed on the men's swim team for three years before coming out as transgender in 2019 -- presented an unfair advantage.
"At stake here is the integrity of women's sports," the parents reportedly wrote. "The 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. What are the boundaries? How is this in line with the NCAA's commitment to providing a fair environment for student-athletes?"
It's being reported that when Lia Thomas' teammates shared their frustration with the head coach of the female swimming team, Mike Schnur, he dismissed their commentary in lieu of the team's success. Since then, they have all chosen to remain unidentified, for fear of facing backlash from the public.
The parents also stated it was unfair to Thomas to be put into a position to face backlash. The NCAA has not responded to the letter, but the university sent a response to the parents supporting Thomas.
"Please know that we fully support all our swimming student-athletes and want to help our community navigate Lia's success in the pool this winter," the response read. "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."
Click below for more information about this developing story and scroll above for an image of Lia Thomas before her transition.
Source: Daily Mail
