Lia Thomas
Lia Catherine Thomas (born May 1999)[2] is an American swimmer. She was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, having won the women's 500-yard freestyle event in 2022. During her swimming career, Thomas has been part of the public debate about transgender women in women's sports.[3][4][5]
Lia Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas in 2022 | |
| Born | May 1999 (age 25) |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) |
| Known for | First openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship |
| Sports career | |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1] |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Freestyle sprint Distance |
| College team | University of Pennsylvania |
Legal challenge
changeIn January 2024, Thomas opened a legal challenge to the World Aquatics gender inclusion policy. The policy was introduced in 2022, which allows trans women to compete in the women's category as long as any male puberty was stopped by age 12 or Tanner Stage 2. Thomas' challenge argued that this policy is discriminatory.[6][7] In June 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Thomas did not have standing to challenge the policy, meaning she wouldn't be allowed to compete.[8][9]
References
change- ↑ Jenkins, Sally. "Lia Thomas's Swimming Is Getting Swamped in Others' Fears". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ↑ Sanchez, Robert (2022-03-03). "'I Am Lia': The Trans Swimmer Dividing America Tells Her Story". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ↑ Witz, Billy (January 24, 2022). "As Lia Thomas Swims, Debate About Transgender Athletes Swirls". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ↑ Levenson, Eric (2022-02-23). "How an Ivy League swimmer became the face of the debate on transgender women in sports". CNN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ↑ Ingle, Sean (December 13, 2021). "Sport's trans issue is here to stay. But at last, the debate is starting to change". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ↑ Close, David; Tucker, Emma (2024-01-27). "Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas begins legal case against swimming's world governing body". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ↑ Webb, Karleigh. "Lia Thomas has filed challenge to World Aquatics' trans ban, confirms Court of Arbitration for Sport". OutSports. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ↑ Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas loses legal challenge in CAS ruling, USA Today, June 12, 2024
- ↑ "Lia Thomas v. World Aquatics" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 10 June 2024.