School targeted with civil rights complaint for promoting transgender swimmer

By Bob Unruh

University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas
University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas

Lia Thomas, the swimmer who competed for the University of Pennsylvania on the men’s team for several years and turned in mediocre performances, now is competing on the women’s team.

He’s had considerably more success there, with an NCAA championship win in recent competition in Atlanta.

But as he’s caused consternation across the women’s swimming competitions this year, and he’s also disrupted those watching the championship events.

Here’s a video of two swimming fans arguing over the issue of Thomas swimming on the women’s team.

One advocate challenges a critic about what are her qualifications for judging Thomas.

She responds “I’m not a vet but I know what a dog is.”

But now there are developments that have Thomas disrupting life at the school for which he swims.

Officials with Concerned Women for America have announced they have filed a formal Civil Rights complaint under Title IX with the U.S. Department of Education against the school for refusing to protect the rights of college female athletes under federal law.

Pennsylvania is continuing to allow male athletes who identify as women to compete in women’s sports.

“Thomas is anatomically and biologically a male with physical capacities that are different from anatomically and biologically female athletes, which extends an unfair advantage and strips female student-athletes of opportunities afforded to them by law,” the CWA announced. “The complaint also cites reports that Thomas’ own teammates have complained about UPenn allowing a hostile environment to fester in its locker room which has put them in apprehension.”

The organization explained, “Title IX requires equal educational benefits and opportunities for students, including in athletics, on the basis of sex. The federal law extends to any school receiving federal financial assistance, including public K-12 schools and almost every college and university in America. Thomas was also allowed to compete in the Ivy League Championships as a member of UPenn women’s swimming team and is currently competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, in direct violation of that law.”

Penny Nance, chief of CWA, said, “The future of women’s sports is at risk and the equal rights of female athletes are being infringed. 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.”

A commentary at Twitchy said, “No matter how badly radical trans activists and wokesters want it to be true, University of Pennsylvania swimmer and NCAA champ Lia Thomas is not female. She’s just not. We don’t begrudge her her right to live her life as a woman if that’s how she chooses to live her life, but that doesn’t change her biology. Biologically speaking, she’s still a man — and she has no business competing against biological females in women’s sports.

“Thomas won the NCAA national championship yesterday not by being the best woman swimmer, but by competing against actual women’s swimmers knowing full well that she has unfair physical advantages.

“We can only imagine the depths of the hurt and anger felt by the women athletes who are relegated to a distant second or third or who never get a chance to medal at all because the NCAA sanctions trans women participating in women’s sports. But this photo gives us a pretty good glimpse into how those women are feeling.”

It was LifeNews that posted images on social media illustrating “perfectly” the “intellectual disconnect between so many radical leftist trans activists and the science they purport to follow.”

Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.


Leave a Comment