Biologically male trans swimmer 'allowed to undress next to biological women' - and females who complained were told to get 'reeducated'

[useapen]

Former teammates of successful trans swimmer, Lia Thomas, have spoken out
over their discomfort at having to undress next to her "18 times a week".

A highly contentious issue in America’s culture wars, the debate over
trans participation in women’s sport has spilled over from the pool and
into the locker room.

Addressing the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Thomas’ former
teammate and NCAA Division I swimmer, Paula Scanlan, told lawmakers that
complaints fell on deaf ears.

Scanlan said: “My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence
of Lia, a 6-foot-4 tall, biological male, with fully intact male
genitalia, 18 times per week.

“Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls and others used the family
bathroom to avoid this.”

When teammates raised the issue with the university, Scanlan says they
were offered counselling to “reeducate” with the intention of making them
“comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male”.

Addressing the committee meeting, called The Dangers and Due Process
Violations of Gender-Affirming Care, Scanlan said: “To sum up the
university's response, we, the women, were the problem, not the victims.

“We were expected to conform, to move over and shut up. Our feelings
didn't matter. The university was gaslighting and fear-mongering women to
validate the feelings and identity of a male.”

Thomas had previously competed on the male swimming team, before beginning
the transitioning process in 2019 and joining the female team in 2021.

Competing in the men’s team for the 2018-2919 season, Thomas ranked 554th
in the 200 freestyle, 65th in the 500 freestyle, and 32nd in the 1650
freestyle.

In the 2021-2022 season, those rankings improved when competing in the
women’s team to fifth in the 200 freestyle, first in the 500 freestyle,
and eighth in the 1650 freestyle.

Thomas became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title at
the Ivy League Penn, and was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year
Award 2022 as a result.

Looking back, Scanlan told the committee:”'Lia formally had personal best
times in every freestyle event that were faster than the women's world
records.”

She added: “Today, any discussion maintaining the sanctity of women's
spaces is labeled transphobic, bigoted and hateful.

“What's bigoted and hateful is discrimination against women and the
efforts to erase women and our equal opportunities, dignity and safe
spaces.”

The hearing came after another swimmer, Riley Gaines, expressed the
opinion to Fox News that the National Collegiate Athletic Association
should create separate locker rooms for transgender athletes.

Gaines, a 12-time All-American and five-time SEC champion, reflected on
her discomfort at being exposed to Thomas’s male genitalia after a meet.

She said: "We were not forewarned beforehand that we would be sharing a
locker room with Lia.

“We did not give our consent, they did not ask for our consent, but in
that locker room we turned around, and there’s a 6’4" biological man
dropping his pants and watching us undress, and we were exposed to male
genitalia.”

Gaines added: "Not even probably a year, two years ago, this would have
been considered some form of sexual assault, voyeurism.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/trans-swimmer-allowed-to-undress-
next-to-biological-women-and-females-who-complained-were-told-to-get-
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