Will “Lia” Thomas shared his story at Iowa State University on Wednesday night detailing his journey toward winning an NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championship. Thomas was part of a three-person panel that included all men discussing the importance of allowing transgender women (men) to compete in women’s sports.
Thomas said participating in sports is massively beneficial and transforms a child’s life due to the various lessons learned and relationships formed.
At five years old, Thomas started swimming competitively. He recalled the first time he competed in an Olympic-sized pool and his initial doubts. However, coaches encouraged him, and he managed to make it across the 50 meters.
Perseverance, the feeling of accomplishment when hitting a goal, hard work and refusing to quit were other lessons learned. Not to mention, he said, the sense of belonging swimming provided.
“I had a team. I had people I could identify myself with,” he said. “I started swimming at age 5. Within a year or two I would confidently introduce myself as ‘I’m Lia. I’m a swimmer.’”
The odd thing here is that Thomas was William until his final college season at the University of Penn. So at seven years old, I would bet big money he never introduced himself as “Lia the swimmer.”
Thomas was able to participate in swimming all the way through. He competed on the men’s team at Penn through his junior season. Then he took a year off school to maintain eligibility when COVID caused the swimming season to be canceled in 2020-21, according to reports.
Laws protecting women’s sports, like the one here in Iowa, tell kids they don’t deserve to participate in athletics, Thomas claimed. Kids are actively excluded, actively being othered and actively being told they don’t belong or deserve the opportunities, he said.
Here’s the thing, Thomas has all those experiences. He wasn’t excluded from anything. So what is he talking about?
True, Iowa’s law would exclude him from changing from competing on the men’s swimming team at a state university or high school to competing on the women’s team. But obviously, he’d still be able to participate on the men’s team.
In fact, in the case of Thomas, the only people in his situation who lost out on the ability to participate were women. There are only so many spots available on the women’s swimming team. There are only so many lanes to fill in a women’s swimming race. There are only so many swimmers who qualify for nationals. There are only so many swimmers who can be All-Americans. There obviously can only be one women’s national champion in an individual event.
And Thomas was the person denying those women the opportunity to participate. That’s the ironic truth that gets lost in the twisted gender ideology.
Somewhere a girl didn’t make the Penn swimming team because Will Thomas took a spot. Somewhere a girl didn’t earn All-Conference. Somewhere a girl didn’t qualify for the National Championships. Somewhere a girl didn’t earn All-American status. Somewhere a girl didn’t get a medal. Somewhere a girl didn’t win a national title.
A girl didn’t because Will Thomas, a man, did.
Thomas told the story about his gender confusion and transition journey toward using hormone replacement therapy. I don’t doubt it was a hard, painful experience. But I also don’t believe for one second that some treatment turned male Will Thomas into a female.
Thomas said when he started the hormone replacement therapy he had done so knowing he may have to quit swimming competitively. But eventually, he realized he didn’t have to and could instead compete on the women’s team.
“I love the sport so much,” Thomas said. “I came back to it out of my love for the sport and how much it means to me rather than any sort of intention to win competition. It was a moment of love.”
Here’s what Thomas is missing. Girls love swimming too. Riley Gaines loved swimming too. Paula Scanlon loved swimming too. The girl who just missed qualifying for nationals because Thomas took her spot, she loved swimming too. The girl who just missed earning All-American status because Thomas took her spot, she loved swimming too.
Thomas had every opportunity under the sun to swim competitively – and did until his senior year of college. He just had to do it as a male because he is a male.
Ironically, the same opportunities Thomas believes are being stolen from “transgender” kids are the exact opportunities that he stole from women who just wanted to compete in women’s swimming.
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