Swimmer Lia Thomas, Who Is Transgender, Opens Up About Criticism: ‘I Transitioned to Be Happy’

In March, Lia Thomas became the first openly trans athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 8: Lia Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers after competing in a freestyle event during a tri-meet against the Yale Bulldogs and the Dartmouth Big Green at Sheerr Pool on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on January 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

Lia Thomas is addressing criticism she’s faced for being a transgender college swimmer amid the ongoing debate regarding trans women in sports.

The former University of Pennsylvania swimmer became the first openly transgender athlete to take home an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport in March.

“The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned,” Thomas said in an interview with ABC News and ESPN published Tuesday.

Appearing to reference her history of swimming for UPenn’s men’s team for three years before joining the women’s team in her senior year, Thomas added, “People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.’ I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself.”

She then shared her thoughts on recent legislation that aims to limit trans athletes. Bills like Pennsylvania’s HB 972 — which Thomas previously said could make trans athletes feel “lonely” — calls for students to play on a team consistent with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is also known as the “Save Women’s Sports Act.”

“Trans women competing in women’s sports does not threaten women’s sports as a whole,” Thomas told ESPN and ABC News. “Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes. The NCAA rules regarding trans women competing in women’s sports have been around for 10-plus years. And we haven’t seen any massive wave of trans women dominating.”

Speaking about her transition, Thomas — who experienced gender dysphoria and mental health issues — said that she started hormone therapy in May 2019. She had just completed her sophomore year and believed she was done swimming for good.

By the time she began her senior year last November, she had received 30 months of hormone therapy, surpassing the NCAA’s then-requirement for trans women to have 12 months of hormone therapy before they can compete in a female sport, ESPN said.

Months later, in January, the NCAA said that it would follow the lead of each sport when deciding if a trans athlete could compete. The following month, USA Swimming called for 36 months of testosterone suppression and an evaluation from a panel of three people for eligibility. The NCAA ultimately stuck to its previous policy, along with a requirement of no more than 10 nanomoles of testosterone per liter.

Addressing the argument that trans athletes make things unfair for cisgender women, Thomas told ESPN and ABC News: “If you say, like, you can compete, but you can’t score or you’re in an extra lane nine, that’s very othering towards trans people. And it is not offering them the same level of respect and opportunity to play and to compete.”

“It’s no different than a cis woman taking a spot on a travel team or a scholarship. It’s a part of athletics, where people are competing against each other. It’s not taking away opportunities from cis women, really. Trans women are women, so it’s still a woman who is getting that scholarship or that opportunity,” Thomas added.

Due to her experience, she is now an aspiring lawyer and plans to go to law school this fall, studying civil rights and public interest law, ESPN said.

“Having seen such hateful attacks on trans rights through legislation, fighting for trans rights and trans equality is something that I’ve become much more passionate about and want to pursue,” she said.

Thomas concluded and said she has no regrets, explaining in her interview, “I’ve been able to do the sport that I love as my authentic self.”

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