“I knew there would be scrutiny against me if I competed as a woman. I’m ready for that, but I also don’t want anyone’s permission to be myself and make the game I love,” she said in the interview, which aired Tuesday. . in “Hello America”.
Thomas, 23, expressed his consideration that, despite a year of hormone therapy, he still had physical merit over other swimmers.
PENN SWIMMER CRITICIZES THE MANAGEMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF LIA THOMAS SAGA: “THEY DO NOT TREAT WOMEN AT ALL”
“There are a lot of points that happen in a race and how successful you are and the biggest change for me is that I’m satisfied and in the current moment, when I had my most productive moments competing with men, I feel miserable. “So having that up is incredibly relieving and allows me to do everything I can to educate myself and run,” Thomas said.
“Trans people don’t transition to athletics. We make the transition to be satisfied and original and ourselves. The transition to merit is never something that takes into account our decisions. “
Thomas argued that cisgender athletes also had other types of physical structure and wondered if they would also be disqualified from what could be considered an advantage.
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“I’m not a medical expert, but there are a lot of diversifications among cis athletes,” she said. “There are cis women who are very tall and very muscular and have more testosterone than other cis women, and that also disqualifies them?”
Thomas, the first transgender athlete to earn a Division I national name in March, when she beat Olympic medalist and Virginia star Emma Weyant by just over a moment in the 500-meter freestyle final, setting a program record.
She competed in two categories: she finished fifth in the 200 m freestyle and last in the 100 m freestyle.
Members of Penn’s women’s swim team spoke out anonymously against Thomas’ participation, arguing it undermined the integrity of the sport, adding that they supported his resolve to make the transition.
“You can’t go halfway through and say, ‘I’m trans women and trans people, but only up to a point,'” Thomas said in response. of the NCAA, so I don’t know if you can really say something like that. “
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She continued: “Trans women are a risk to women’s sport. “
Thomas told Chang he planned to “keep swimming” and compete in the Olympics. “It’s been one of my swims in the Olympic trials for a long time and I would love to do it. “
Paulina Dedaj is a virtual journalist for Fox News and Fox Business. Follow Paulina Dedaj on Twitter at @PaulinaDedaj. Si she has any advice, you can email Paulina at Paulina. Dedaj@fox. com