Lia Thomas became the first known trans athlete to win a Division I national championship in any sport when she won the 500-yard freestyle for Penn yesterday.
Small groups of protesters were outside the national final event as well as Thursday's qualifiers, an unsurprising presence, as Thomas' successes in the pool have placed her into the national spotlight at the center of the ongoing debate over trans athletes.
It is a symbol of Lia's resilience, and it was the first known trans man to compete on a Division I men's team.
Thomas joined the men's team at Penn. She came out to her teammates and began swimming on the women's team in 2021. Her recent success on the national stage has prompted USA Swimming and the NCAA to revisit their policies regarding trans athletes and testosterone levels, though the NCAA did not change any of their policies for this current academic year.
While still competing in the sport she loves, Thomas has done all she can to remain out of the spotlight, declining to attend press conferences and granting very few interviews. Her name has become synonymous with her cause and discussions about trans athletes in sports. She was the subject of a letter that 16 teammates sent asking the school to remove her from the women's team, and was also the subject of a counter-letter signed by over 300 student-athletes expressing their support for both Thomas and all trans athletes.
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