Lia Thomas got plenty of publicity thanks to the controversy that is permanently attached to her. The longtime swimmer competed among the men for three years before transitioning and subsequently switching divisions.
This move was not well received by the public and is generally seen as detrimental to the women’s sport. Plenty of people with huge platforms spoke out about Thomas including Martina Navratilova, Joe Rogan and Caitlyn Jenner.
Thomas’ win wasn’t well received – and the public reacted to it with plenty of vitriol. We’ve captured some of the best replies. Take a look
Outside of the NCAA there were protests and the crowd at the competition was clearly distraught with the outcome. Just hear them boo Thomas.
This is a historic first. An athlete who had transitioned never previously won a division at NCAA. Thomas is also expected to compete in 2 more events, one that she’s favored to win.
A federal civil rights complaint has been filed against UPenn for enabling Thomas to compete along with women.
“The future of women’s sports is at risk and the equal rights of female athletes are being infringed,” said Penny Nance, CEO and president of Concerned Women for America. “We filed a formal civil rights complaint against UPenn in response to this injustice.”
“Any school that defies federal civil rights law by denying women equal opportunities in athletic programs, forcing women to compete against athletes who are biologically male must be held accountable,” Ms. Nance said.