Lia Thomas spoke publicly for the first time since the University of Pennsylvania agreed with President Donald Trump’s administration to strip her swimming records and bar biological males from women’s sports.
In an interview with WHYY, Thomas didn’t address the decision directly but sent a clear message to critics. “You don’t get to pick and choose when you see me as a woman,” she said. “You don’t get to say, ‘You can be a woman in these situations, but not in these,’ because you would never do that to a cis woman.”
She made the remarks when asked how she would respond to those who say they support transgender rights but believe women’s sports should exclude biological males. Thomas argued that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) removes any athletic edge.
“There are massive losses to muscle mass, strength and endurance,” Thomas said. “To make blanket statements like, ‘Oh, I see you as a woman, but you just shouldn’t compete in women’s sports,’ is both transphobic and not reflective of the realities of being trans and being on HRT.”
However, a study by the Macdonald–Laurier Institute countered that claim, arguing testosterone suppression doesn’t erase advantages gained during male puberty. The authors wrote that muscle and strength loss after a year of suppression is “modest” at around 5%, meaning male physical advantages largely remain.
Thomas also spoke about her personal journey, recalling the summer of 2018 when she came out to her then-girlfriend. “She invited me to go with her to a pride parade,” Thomas said. “That evening when we got home, I came out to her. I think that might have been the first time I said ‘I’m trans’ out loud. And she was incredibly supportive.”
Thomas joined UPenn’s women’s swim team in 2021 after competing for the men’s team. She went on to win the NCAA Division I national championship in the 500-yard freestyle and earned three All-America honors.
But controversy followed. Former teammates and competitors, including Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, spoke out about sharing locker rooms and competing against Thomas. Gaines tied with Thomas at the NCAA championships and later sued the NCAA, becoming a leading voice for women’s sports.
That lawsuit — which includes other swimmers from the 2022 season — recently survived motions to dismiss. Another group of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates has also filed suit against the school and the Ivy League.
Former teammate Monika Burzynska said she was assigned a locker next to Thomas in 2021. “You never think you’ll face something like this personally until you’re on a team with Lia Thomas,” she said. “You still feel sorry for this person because they’re clearly so deeply lost. But then it turns into, ‘OK, this is not fair.’”
Despite the ongoing backlash, Thomas was honored with the Voice of Inspiration Award at Rainbow Labs’ Violet Visionary Awards on Thursday, sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Football Club.