The University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team faced Harvard at a dual meet on Saturday. Controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas continued to dominate, winning two events: the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle races. Thomas swam the 100-yard free in 50.55 seconds and the 200-yard free in 1:47.08 seconds.
Thomas was born male and is competing among biological females. The swimmer’s place on the women’s team has caused a lot of anger and frustration among the other swimmers. They were promised fair competition among females before accepting admission to the Ivy League school, but that turned out not to be true. After swimming for three years on the men’s team, Thomas’s involvement with the women’s team has left a feeling that the school employed a bait-and-switch tactic on the students.
For years, liberals, Democrats, and leftists have routinely claimed that a patriarchy in the United States exists and makes women second-class citizens. Female athletes have echoed these claims, bemoaning significant inequalities between men’s and women’s athletics. Consider the numerous reports that highlight disparities between men’s and women’s sports, especially at the collegiate level. Now, with athletes who have the genetics of a man being permitted to take away athletic opportunities from women, females have been relegated to an even lower position.
“Women are now third-class citizens,” the swimmer told me. She also specifically detailed how Thomas’s male genetics provide a distinct advantage. Where William didn’t perform as well at some events in the men’s sport, Thomas has thrived as a woman.
“Lia was not even close to being competitive as a man in the 50 and the 100 (freestyle events),” the anonymous swimmer said. “But just because Lia is biologically a man, [Lia] is just naturally better than many females in the 50 and the 100 or anything that [Lia] wasn’t good at as a man.”
The data seem to support this claim.
For the 2021-2022 University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team, the top time for the 50 free is 22.78 seconds, accomplished by Thomas. Comparatively, the men’s top time in the same event during this season is 20.32 seconds. Thomas’s record time for women would have been the 17th best time for men this year. Furthermore, Thomas’s performance was the third-fastest time for the university’s women’s team in the last 13 seasons.
Further analysis in other events shows superior times compared to women — especially in longer distances. For example, in the 1,650-yard freestyle, this year’s top time was 15:59.71, accomplished by Thomas. The next fastest was a whopping 38 seconds later at 16:37.44. Thomas’s time in this event was the fastest by a Penn woman swimmer since at least the 2008-2009 season — the furthest the school’s website keeps records.
The female swimmers have every right to be mad. They are being metaphorically held hostage in this situation. The female Penn swimmer who spoke to me said every administrator who allowed this to happen (at Penn and the NCAA) doesn’t care about women.
“The top people at NCAA, who are on the board of directors … they are not protecting women’s rights,” the Penn swimmer told me. “Imagine if there was this kind of inequality in men’s sports. Or someone found out about doping in a men’s sport. It would be fixed in a blink of an eye. Everyone would be all over it. But because it’s women, they don’t care.”
She also stated that she had received a ton of support outside the swimming pool. Many have agreed that the situation is wrong and unfair, even those whose political ideology is considered more sympathetic toward transgender people.
“People have come up to me and said this is so wrong,” she said. “I am typically liberal, but this is past that. This is so wrong. This doesn’t make any sense.”
That being said, she does wish more people were speaking out on the problem. Having private support is great, but it doesn’t help the injustices endured by the female swimmers having to compete against a 6’3″ swimmer born a biological male.
“I’m trying to do everything I can without harming my future from stopping this from happening,” she said. “I can’t just sit back and let something like this happen. I’m not just going to sit back and say, ‘My rights are being taken away, too bad.’ It’s embarrassing that people aren’t speaking out more.”
She also wondered how Thomas truly feels about all of these “accomplishments.”
“It’s crazy because I don’t actually know if Lia thinks this is fair,” the Penn swimmer said. “This can’t possibly be rewarding in any way.”
“I can’t see how anyone could feel good about this,” she said.
