UPenn Will Strip Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas Of Records And Ban Trans Athletes From Women’s Sports

Thomas, who once sought to compete in the Olympics, argued in a lawsuit challenging World Aquatics’ competitive ban against transgender women that the rule was unlawful and discriminatory. The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied Thomas’ request for arbitration with World Aquatics, provoking a response from Thomas, who said, “Blanket bans preventing trans women from competing are discriminatory and deprive us of valuable athletic opportunities that are central to our identities,” according to NBC News.

Key Background

President Donald Trump banned trans athletes from participating in women’s sports at public schools with an executive order signed in February, threatening to remove federal funding from schools if they didn’t comply. Not long after the order was issued, the NCAA barred trans athletes from women’s competitions. Student-athletes assigned male at birth can continue practicing with women’s teams and receive medical care, according to the NCAA rule change. NCAA president Charlie Baker told a Senate committee a few months before the changes that fewer than 10 of the NCAA’s 530,000 student athletes were transgender.

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