Transgender Swimmer Won’t Be Eligible to Compete as a Female Olympic Swimmer

On Wednesday news outlets reported transgender swimmer Lia Thomas lost a legal challenge over eligibility requirements for competing in women’s races at elite competitions like the Olympics.

Thomas is a biological male who claims to be female.

In 2021 Thomas shattered women’s swimming records after he started competing against female swimmers as a transgender athlete. In 2022 he was even nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year. Since then, a group of current and former college athletes have filed a lawsuit against the NCAA arguing that letting Thomas compete in the 2022 national championships violated their federal rights under Title IX.

This legal decision is good news. Letting men compete in women’s sports reverses 50 years of advancements for women and effectively erases women’s athletics.

It hampers girls’ abilities to compete for athletic scholarships, and it hurts their professional opportunities as adults. In some cases, it can even be dangerous.

Female cyclists, swimmers, powerlifters, sprinters, and others have seen their sports radically changed by men who identify and compete as women.

Fortunately, steps are being taken to protect women’s sports in America.

Last year the North American Grappling Association clarified its competition policy, saying biological males must compete against other men, regardless of their gender identity.

Earlier this year the professional golf league NXXT Golf announced that only biological females would be eligible to participate in the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour.

And recently the NAIA announced a policy that should prevent male athletes from competing in women’s collegiate sports.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) preventing male student athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school.

This good law protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas — and Family Council was pleased to support its passage.

Arkansas also is leading the charge against the Biden Administration’s new rule redefining “sex” under federal Title IX.

Public opinion polling shows everyday Americans increasingly agree that need to preserve fairness in women’s sports. It’s encouraging to see leaders willing to take a stand to do exactly that.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.