EXCLUSIVE: 'The integrity of women's sports is at stake.' Distressed parents of UPenn swimmers pen letter demanding the NCAA change rules that permit trans Lia Thomas to dominate national college competition
Parents of the University of Pennsylvania women's swim team are demanding the NCAA change rules that have permitted transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to dominate the competition, declaring 'at stake here is the integrity of women's sports,' DailyMail.com has learned.
The parents of about 10 swimmers sent a letter last week to the NCAA and forwarded it to the Ivy League and University of Pennsylvania officials.
'At stake here is the integrity of women's sports,' they wrote in the letter obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. 'The precedent being set – one in which women do not have a protected and equitable space to compete – is a direct threat to female athletes in every sport. What are the boundaries? How is this in line with the NCAA's commitment to providing a fair environment for student-athletes?
'It is the responsibility of the NCAA to address the matter with an official statement,' the parents continue. 'As the governing body, it is unfair and irresponsible to leave the onus on Lia, Lia's teammates, Lia's coaches, UPenn athletics and the Ivy League. And it is unfair and irresponsible to Lia to allow the media to dictate the narrative without the participation of the NCAA.'
The NCAA has yet to respond to the letter, sent December 5.
One parent, who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions for herself and her daughter, told DailyMail.com, 'The swimmers have mixed feelings. Many of them want to speak up, but they don't because they believe they'll be ostracized.
'Everybody is scared,' the mom added. 'Parents are also scared that the kids will be harmed. We are paying $80,000 for this school. Their life will be impacted.'
'At stake here is the integrity of women's sports,' the parents wrote in the letter obtained by DailyMail.com
The university sent a terse response to the parents, claiming the school is doing what it can to help the student-athletes navigate Lia's success, shared a link to mental health services
Lia Thomas won three events and set three new school records including two new Ivy League records. She is pictured setting the record at the 500 yard freestyle on December 3
The parents of about 10 swimmers banded together in October as Thomas' advantage became clear.
An anonymous female UPenn swimmer said she and other teammates have discussed their frustration with Thomas' place on their team with coach Mike Schnur (pictured) but said he 'just likes winning'
'I think that transgender people have a right to compete, but they need to have their own league,' one of the mothers told DailyMail.com Wednesday. 'Being fair to one group of people shouldn't take rights away from another group, and that's what's happening here.
'The NCAA obviously didn't think much about the rules they set,' she added. 'It's not fair to the women on the team and it's not fair to Lia as well. She went through transition, and I admire her bravery. But the records she sets now are not valued records, female records.'
The father of another swimmer on the team told DailyMail.com Tuesday night that the parent group is 'consulting with people who are very in tune with these issues and plan to issue a statement shortly.'
While the parents sent the letters last week, they weren't planning to share them publicly until after midterm exams, which are being held this week at UPenn.
'Our swimmers are already impacted by this situation,' one mother said. 'My daughter is unable to focus. We are trying to give the swimmers a break, with interims now.'
'But I'm a fighter by nature and I feel uncomfortable being silent,' she continued. 'If everyone is silent, nothing is going to change. We're giving the girls time for the midterms. Then we need to speak up as soon as possible.'
DailyMail.com has reached out to the NCAA and UPenn for comment.
Thomas (pictured in 2016 and 2017, respectively) was a star swimmer in high school
UPenn swim team recently posted about one of Lia's records in the 500m freestyle (pictured)
Fellow University of Pennsylvania swimmer Anna Sofia Kalandaze, pictured above, finished behind Thomas by 38 seconds in the 1,650-yard freestyle race
The university sent a terse response to the parents, claiming the school is doing what it can to help the student-athletes navigate Lia's success, shared a link to mental health services.
'Please know that we fully support all our swimming student-athletes and want to help our community navigate Lia's success in the pool this winter,' the university replied. 'Penn Athletics is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our student-athletes, coaches and staff and we hold true to that commitment today and in the future.
'We've encouraged our student-athletes to utilize the robust resources available to them at Penn, and I'd like to share them with you as well,' the school wrote the parents, providing links to 'counseling and psychological services, the LGBT Center, Restorative Practices and our Center for Student-Athlete Success staff.'
Earlier this month, Thomas broke two national records when she competed in the female races at the Zippy Invitational. She beat her teammate Anna Sofia Kalandadze out of first place by 38 seconds. She will be automatically entered to compete in the national championship meet in Atlanta in March 2022.
In the week after the Zippy Invitational, two of Thomas' female UPenn teammates anonymously spoke out about their frustrations of having a transgender teammate, despite the entire team being 'strongly advised' not to speak to the media.
One of the swimmers told sports website OutKick that UPenn swimmers were upset and crying as they knew their times were going to be obliterated by her.
'Usually everyone claps, everyone is yelling and cheering when someone wins a race,' she said of the Zippy Invitational. 'Lia touched the wall and it was just silent in there. When fellow Penn swimmer Anna Kalandadze finished second, the crowd erupted in applause.'
After the race, the teammate said, Thomas could be overheard bragging, 'That was so easy, I was cruising,' before adding, 'At least I'm still No. 1 in the country.'
The mother who spoke with DailyMail.com said her daughter, who was not one of the two swimmers who spoke out, shared a similar account with her.
'My daughter called me hysterically right after the meet,' the mom recalled. 'Everything that swimmer said during the interview, my daughter told me directly after the meet. The exact same words about how Lia was saying 'I was just cruising. I did not do that well, but I'm still number one.'
'That's what the swimmers were upset about, the arrogance on the deck, her behavior, not her gender,' the mother told DailyMail.com. 'This was not team spirit. My daughter told me Lia had received a lot of understanding from teammates, and this behavior rubbed them the wrong way.
But the parents who got together said their gripe is not with Lia, or the school. They are concerned with the rules that allow Thomas to compete on the women's team.
Thomas previously competed on the UPenn men's swim team for three years as Will before transitioning. Will's times are seconds away from shattering women's world records
Thomas previously competed on the UPenn men's swim team for three years before transitioning and undergoing hormone treatments for nearly two and a half years.
Thomas was able to switch to the women's team after completing a year of hormone treatments, in accordance to NCAA regulations.
Another anonymous female swimmer from UPenn told OutKick that she and most of her female teammates are upset because their coach, Mike Schnur, is allowing a transgender athlete to take a woman's spot because he 'just really likes winning.'
Thomas specifically notes Schnur's support of her transition and switch to the woman's team calling him one of her 'biggest supporters and allies in this process since day one.'
Thomas also noted her teammates as a continued support system through her transition and the national criticism she has since faced.
But the first female swimmer to speak out, anonymously, told OutKick that support is 'fake.'
'When the whole team is together, we have to be like, 'Oh my gosh, go Lia, that's great, you're amazing.' It's very fake,' she said.
'The Ivy League is not a fast league for swimming, so that's why it's particularly ridiculous that we could potentially have an NCAA champion. That's unheard of coming from the Ivy League,' the swimmer explained.
The controversy surrounding Thomas' historic wins and place on the women's team come as the nation continues to debate the place of transgender athletes.
Several states have proposed bills to outlaw transgender athletes from competing on teams that align with their gender but require athletes to compete against those of their biological sex or the sex listed on their birth certificate.
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