(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) A teammate of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas on the University of Pennsylvania swim team revealed that female student-athletes were not allowed to discuss any of their concerns about sharing their locker room with a biological man, RedState reported.
GMA interviewed Lia Thomas today. Great timing. Our film features one of Thomas’s teammates. She told me that women on her team were silenced and referred to psychological counseling if they objected to having Thomas on the team. More in the full film: https://t.co/xibkNa4oHW pic.twitter.com/YRRf2S712a
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 31, 2022
“There was a lot of things we couldn’t talk about that were very concerning,” the swimmer, who requested to remain anonymous, told Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh.
“The locker room situation—if you brought up concerns about it, you were transphobic,” she continued. “If you even bring up the fact that Lia’s swimming might not be fair, you were shut down and being called a hateful person or transphobic.”
Continuing the interview, Walsh asked if there were any conversations at all around the allowance of a man on the women’s swim team.
“Penn acutally brought in people high up in the athletic department to talk to us,” the swimmer said. “They brought in someone from the LGBTQ center, they brought in someone from the psychological services…”
“So, you’re upset about what’s happening, so you need psychological help,” Walsh said, completing her thought.
The swimmer agreed and continued, explaining how the administration considered Thomas’s swimming as a “non-negotiable.”
“They pulled us into this meeting and said ‘look, we understand there’s an array of emotions around this, but Lia’s swimming is a non-negotiable,'” she said. “However we can help you make that OK, that’s what we’re here for.”
Walsh’s interview followed a recent Good Morning America interview with Thomas, in which the former mediocre male competitor was largely panned for showing indifference to the concerns of female teammates.
EXCLUSIVE: “Trans people don’t transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves.”
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out to @JujuChangABC about backlash and future plans to compete. https://t.co/UFQOgMNBLj pic.twitter.com/FJcmyEChi9
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 31, 2022
