Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has pledged to challenge President Donald Trump’s executive order that bans transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports competitions.
Speaking via Zoom at the HiTOPS trans youth forum, Thomas expressed determination to overturn the controversial ban that was signed into law in February.
“I am going to keep fighting as much as I am able to,” Thomas stated during the forum, as reported by Outkick. “In order to fight the battles we need to fight, we have to stick together and support each other.”
Thomas, who became a lightning rod for debate after winning a national swimming title for the University of Pennsylvania in the women’s 500-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships, believes transgender athletes themselves should have the final say on where they compete.
“It has to be the athletes deciding for themselves where they feel most affirmed and most comfortable,” she said. “Having routes that are safe and non-discriminatory, that allow them access to that.”
President Trump used Title IX to implement the ban, ensuring only biological females are permitted to compete in women’s sports categories. The executive order has been celebrated by advocates for women’s sports, including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against Thomas in 2022 and is currently leading a lawsuit against the NCAA on behalf of athletes who were required to compete against transgender women.
This isn’t the first setback Thomas has faced in her competitive swimming career. Last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected her request to overturn World Aquatics’ policy that prevents transgender women from competing in women’s categories unless they completed their transition by age 12. Thomas had argued these rules were “invalid and unlawful” and violated the Olympic charter.
In a further development related to the transgender sports debate, Trump’s administration recently cut $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania for allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. The funding cut came exactly three years after Thomas won her controversial national title for the school.
The ongoing controversy highlights the deeply divided perspectives on transgender inclusion in sports, with advocates for both sides claiming to protect the integrity of athletic competition and athletes’ rights.
