Lia Thomas calls trans sports ban ‘a gut punch’
– 2 min read
Trailblazing swimmer Lia Thomas, who made history in 2022 as the first openly trans athlete to win an NCAA Division I title, has condemned recent bans on trans athletes in competitive sport, describing them as a “gut punch” that continues to weigh heavily on her. Speaking candidly in a recent interview with WHYY, Thomas reflected on the emotional toll of being excluded from the sport she loves, following a series of rulings and policies that have barred her from competing in women’s events.
Thomas’s latest remarks come in response to World Aquatics’ policy, introduced in 2022, which restricts trans women from competing in the women’s category unless they transitioned before the age of 12 or prior to reaching stage two of male puberty. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the policy last year, effectively ending Thomas’s hopes of competing at the highest level.
“It was a gut punch and it still hits me sometimes,” Thomas, 26, said. “It’s aching grief at not being able to do the sport that I love.”
She criticised the criteria as “nearly impossible” for trans women to meet, arguing that such rules fail to reflect the lived realities of transgender athletes and the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). “There are massive losses to muscle mass, strength, and endurance,” she explained. “To make blanket statements like, ‘You shouldn’t compete in women’s sports,’ is both transphobic and not reflective of the realities of being trans.”
Thomas also addressed the broader cultural and institutional challenges faced by trans athletes, including the University of Pennsylvania’s decision to retroactively strip her of her titles and records under pressure from federal authorities. “People have tried to rewrite the rules of when I’m allowed to be seen 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.”
Despite the setbacks, Thomas remains resolute. “I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat,” she said. “There’s just no substitute to living and being your authentic self.”
Her advocacy was recently recognised at the Violet Visionary Awards in Los Angeles, where she received the “Voice of Inspiration” award. In her acceptance speech, Thomas spoke of the importance of trans visibility and mentorship, crediting her own journey to the support of trans role models. “It unfortunately takes courage because of the many difficulties there are surrounding being openly trans, especially being an openly trans athlete, but it’s absolutely worth it.”
