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WORLD Fina BARS Transgender Swimmers From Women's Elite Events
'We're Uncomfortable in Our Own Locker Room.' - We're FORCED to Share Changing Room With a MALE Transgender & 'HER' MALE Genitals - Lady Swimmers
Lia Thomas' UPenn teammate tells how the Trans Swimmer doesn't always cover up her MALE Genitals when changing and their concerns go ignored by their coach
One of Lia Thomas' teammates tells DailyMail.com they feel uncomfortable sharing a locker room with the transgender UPenn swimmer
'It's definitely awkward because Lia still has male body parts and is still attracted to women,' she said
The swimmer said that multiple teammates have raised their concerns with their coach, trying to get Thomas ousted from the female locker room
'We were basically told that we could not ostracize Lia by not having her in the locker room and that there's nothing we can do about it,' she said
The teammate added that Thomas appears to enjoy all the attention and said it affects the team more than it does her
Thomas previously competed on UPenn MEN's swim team for three years as Will before transitioning in 2019
Daily Mail UK. 28 JAN 2022.
Thomas' teammate said, 'It's really upsetting because Lia doesn't seem to care how it makes anyone else feel. The 35 of us are just supposed to accept being uncomfortable in our own space and locker room for, like, the feelings of one' ...
Multiple swimmers have raised it, multiple different times,' the UPenn swimmer said. 'But we were basically told that we could not ostracize Lia by not having her in the locker room and that there's nothing we can do about it.' UPenn women's swimmers and divers relax at the beach in January 2020. Lia Thomas is circled...
Sharing a locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has become a point of contention for some of her University of Pennsylvania teammates, who feel uncomfortable changing in the private space with someone undergoing gender transition, the DailyMail.com can reveal.
Thomas previously competed on UPenn men's swim team for three years as Will before transitioning in 2019 (pictured in 2016 and 2017, respectively)
'It's definitely awkward because Lia still has male body parts and is still attracted to women,' one swimmer on the team told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
Lia has told her teammates that she dates women.
While Lia covers herself with a towel sometimes, there’s a decent amount of nudity, the swimmer said. She and others have had a glimpse at her private parts.
She stated that team members have raised their concern with the coach, trying to get Thomas ousted from the female locker room, but got nowhere.
'Multiple swimmers have raised it, multiple different times,' the UPenn swimmer said. 'But we were basically told that we could not ostracize Lia by not having her in the locker room and that there's nothing we can do about it, that we basically have to roll over and accept it, or we cannot use our own locker room.'
'It's really upsetting because Lia doesn't seem to care how it makes anyone else feel,' the swimmer continued. 'The 35 of us are just supposed to accept being uncomfortable in our own space and locker room for, like, the feelings of one.'
One of Lia Thomas' teammates tells DailyMail.com they feel uncomfortable sharing a locker room with the transgender UPenn swimmer. 'It's definitely awkward because Lia still has male body parts and is still attracted to women,' she said
Thomas' teammate said, 'It's really upsetting because Lia doesn't seem to care how it makes anyone else feel. The 35 of us are just supposed to accept being uncomfortable in our own space and locker room for, like, the feelings of one'
She said UPenn's handling of the locker room issue is emblematic of the school's overall approach to the Lia Thomas controversy, with school bending over backwards to make Thomas feel welcome without seeming to care how it affects her teammates.
She stated that team members have raised their concern with the coach, trying to get Thomas ousted from the female locker room, but got nowhere.
Coach Mike Schnur is pictured
She stated that team members have raised their concern with the coach, trying to get Thomas ousted from the female locker room, but got nowhere. Coach Mike Schnur is pictured
'The school was so focused on making sure Lia was okay, and doing everything they possibly could do for her, that they didn't even think about the rest of us,' the teammate told DailyMail.com.
'It just seems like the women who built this program and the people who were here before Lia don't matter. And it's frustrating because Lia doesn't really seem to be bothered by all the attention, not at all. Actually she seems like she enjoys it. It's affected all of us way more than it's affected her.'
The school released a terse statement last month that it was offering mental health services to student-athletes.
Thomas, 22, plans to break her longtime silence and exclusively share her story with Sports Illustrated, it was announced Wednesday.
The NCAA, which set rules allowing transgender athletes to compete after completing a year of hormone therapy, recently washed its hands of the row, announcing that transgender participation will now be determined by each sport's national governing body.
In Thomas' case, this would fall under USA Swimming, which is considering a new policy.
'USA Swimming firmly believes in inclusivity and the opportunity for all athletes to experience the sport of swimming in a manner consistent with their gender identity and expression,' USA Swimming stated last week.
'We also strongly believe in competitive equity, and, like many, are doing our best to learn and educate ourselves on the appropriate balance in this space.'
The swimmer who spoke with DailyMail.com welcomed USA Swimming's involvement.
'I'm actually happy that the NCAA passed the buck because USA Swimming is more conservative and they have stakes in the game,' she said. 'These are people who swam their whole lives, who have kids and daughters who swim, and they see what this is doing to the swim community.'
Lia Thomas: Watch till the end to see how unfair it really is.
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