Lia Thomas Opens Up About Her Controversial Season
Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas opened up to Sports Illustrated about her gender identity and her season inside of the pool.
Thomas, one of the top female swimmers in the country, has drawn a lot of attention this year, with many supporting her, while some others have criticized her.
The Penn female swimmer is at the heart of the transgender athlete debate.
Thomas told Sports Illustrated that she started to question her gender identity at the end of high school. Thomas began to feel depressed early on during her time at Penn. She began to undergo hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in 2019.
“It surprised me. I felt, mentally, a lot better and healthier pretty quickly. The relief it gave me was quite substantial,” Thomas said, adding that she came out to her coaches and teammates during her junior year.
SI sat down for an exclusive interview with Penn's Lia Thomas, the woman at the heart of the debate over transgender athletes.
“I am here to swim,” she told @MileHighRobert https://t.co/aj5lgk7kdo pic.twitter.com/JR8eQK7aip
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 3, 2022
Thomas has a simple message for those criticizing her season.
“The very simple answer is that I’m not a man. I’m a woman, so I belong on the women’s team. Trans people deserve that same respect every other athlete gets,” she said.
Thomas will be competing for Penn at the NCAA Championships later this month.
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