Who is trans swimmer Lia Thomas? The LGBT athlete’s records have made her gender a hot topic, with the likes of Michael Phelps and Caitlyn Jenner all weighing in …

Mar 9 , 2022

Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas looks on as she celebrates senior day with her teammates during a swim meet on January 8, in Philadelphia, US. Photo: AP Photo

The 22-year-old athlete triumphed at Ivy League competitions at Harvard University and has eyes on the 2024 Olympic trials – but Phelps, Jenner and others think she shouldn’t be allowed to compete

She grew up in Austin, Texas, enrolled in University of Pennsylvania in 2017 and came out in 2019 with her family’s support – and she hopes to be a role model for young trans athletes

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has been making headlines recently – although not always positive ones.

The 22-year-old athlete has shattered women’s swimming records at student competitions, but her gender has become a hot topic in the media and in public debate, as some feel that it’s unfair to allow trans and cis women to compete together. Conservative American magazine National Review even write a story on her with the headline, “Has Lia Thomas no shame?”

The furore echoes that which surrounded South African runner Caster Semenya, who is widely known to be intersex and whose athletic performance has come under scrutiny as a result.

Lia Thomas reacts after her team wins the 400 yard freestyle relay during the 2022 Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool on February 19, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Veteran swim champion Michael Phelps spoke out on the issue, widely quoted as saying, “sports should all be played on an even playing field.” Caitlyn Jenner, a fellow trans woman and an Olympian, also weighed in with, “I don’t think biological boys should compete in women’s sports – we have to protect women’s sports.”

However, trans swimmer Schuyler Bailar had a different perspective, telling the LGBT Official site last December: “Lia is not a great athlete because she was AMAB [assigned male at birth]. The belief that all AMAB folks are better at sports is rooted in the sexist belief that boys are, by default, better at sports than girls.”

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of Penn University dives to compete in the 100 yard freestyle swimming race at the 2022 Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 19. Photo: AFP

He further commented on Phelps’ advantages as well, saying, “If Lia’s assigned gender provides her with an advantage, why is that different from Michael Phelps’ clear biological advantages of lower lactic acid levels, larger lung capacity, and so on? It’s not.” He further added, “You might consider that all these athletes did have unique physical characteristics that allowed them advantages in sport that no one considered [them] unfair.”

A 2017 literature review of studies published in the journal Sports Medicine also found “no direct or consistent research of trans people having an athletic advantage over their cisgender peers”, reports CNN.

So, aside from the controversy, what else do we know about the young swimmer?