The story of Lia Thomas is quite well-known. 'She' is a transgender swimmer who was allowed to compete in the female category despite being a biological male. Predictably, 'she' took advantage of the situation and came in first place in the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I swimming championship. In addition, she was awarded Woman of the Year.
Her peers at the University of Pennsylvania were not particularly happy with the decision. The first was Riley Gaines, who finished second in the tournament that crowned Thomas. The athlete now serves as a national activist, pushing for the non-participation of transgender women in women's sports.
She was joined in her cause by Paula Scanlan, also a member of the aforementioned UP swim team, who testified Thursday in front of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and House Limited Government.
The young woman began her testimony by recalling the Thomas case, already known to all present, and clarified that she was going to expose how the university disregarded the team's opinions on the matter.
DISTURBING: “My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a [6ft 4in] tall biological male, fully intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week.” @PaulaYScanlan
This is gender ideology in action. It’s disgusting and ignores women’s safety and privacy. pic.twitter.com/J8EsJZLLKN
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) July 27, 2023
"My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a six-feet-four-inch tall biological man fully-intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week. Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls, and others used the family bathroom to avoid this. When we tried to voice our concern to the Athletic Department, we were told that Lia swimming and being in our locker room was non-negotiable, and we were offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male," she revealed.
"To sum up the university's response: we, the women, were the problem, not the victims. We were expected to conform—to move over and shut up. Our feelings didn't matter. The university was gaslighting and fear-mongering women to validate the feelings and identity of a male," the young woman added.
The hearing, which took place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 27, was also attended by Chloe Cole (a detransition activist), Jennifer Bauwens (director of the Center for Family Studies), May Mailman (Independent Woman's Law Center), Myriam Reynolds (professional counsel) and Shannon Minter (legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights).
When Lia Thomas joined the team, the University of Pennsylvania offered @PaulaYScanlan and her teammates psychological services to re-educate themselves to become comfortable undressing in front of a man.
Listen to Paula's story 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/C4g4yTeCfU
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) July 27, 2023
Scanlan also revealed that she published an opinion piece on the matter in the Daily Pennsylvanian, the university's student-run newspaper. However, her article was retracted within hours.
"Again, I was silenced for my dissenting viewpoint and felt my First Amendment rights were denied by my university. This is representative of a greater issue, the destruction of free speech. Today any discussion of maintaining the sanctity of women's spaces is labeled transphobic, bigoted and hateful," the swimmer added.
"I can't imagine not feeling confident to be myself"
Chloe Hunt is a student at the University of Pennsylvania currently studying international relations and English, majoring in Hispanic Studies. As a woman and a UP educational community member, she spoke to Voz Media to express her view of Scanlan's statement.
According to her, the situation experienced by Thomas' female companions created "a very toxic environment for women, both in the pool and out of the pool." "I can't imagine not feeling confident to be myself and undressing in the locker room, which is part of your job as a student-athlete," she added.
In addition, Hunt lamented that society has allowed these situations to occur in educational settings. "I think it creates an environment where, if you're around male genitalia in a female locker room, there's really no distinction between genders anymore and women's privacy doesn't matter," she said.
