Featured Image Credit: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, LGBTQ, Sport
Britt Jones
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, LGBTQ, Sport
Transgender athlete Lia Thomas’ colleagues have filed a lawsuit hours before President Donald Trump signed an executive order which bans trans athletes from women’s sports
Three former University of Pennsylvania swimmers have filed their suit, which allege that they suffered 'emotional trauma' after having to compete with Thomas as a teammate.
UPenn alum Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist have explained how they went through emotional trauma and now have called for the Ivy League to expunge Thomas’ records.
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This all came just one day before Trump signed an executive order which stops biological men from competing in women’s sports.
Many of Trump's executive orders are aimed at the transgender community, with the 78-year-old Republican - who is also the first convicted felon to assume the presidential role - declaring that the US government would recognise 'only two genders'.
The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News, alleges: "The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas’ participation on the UPenn Women’s team, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LBGTQ center."
Kaczorowski, Holmquist and Estabrook claimed they were 'repeatedly emotionally traumatised' as Thomas was allowed to compete with them.
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They went on to share that their school officials were strict with their pro-trans ideology, with administrators allegedly inviting the swimmers to a talk titled 'Trans 101'.
This talk allegedly made the girls believe that if they were not comfortable with a 'trans-identifying male' on their team, that they had to be mentally unstable and needed help.
The lawsuit went on to accuse four defendants of forcing the women to deny basic biology and that having Thomas on the women’s team jeopardised the swimmers’ safety and opportunity.
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Thomas previously competed in the UPenn Men’s Swimming and Diving team between 2017 to 2020 and then moved to the women’s team in 2019. She went on to break several women’s records at the Ivy League Championship in 2022, sparking outrage in the community and some public.
It was also reported that while the women previously were told that they did not have to share a locker room with Thomas, the rules changed and soon, Thomas began to change beside them.
The lawsuit claims: "When UPenn’s women’s swimmers returned to school in the fall of 2021 they were shocked to discover that Thomas was being allowed to use the women’s locker room at UPenn and would be allowed to use the women’s locker room at swim meet.
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"Margot [Kaczorowski] only learned that Thomas had been authorized by UPenn to use the women’s locker room when she walked in the women’s locker room to find Thomas in front of her changing his clothing."
When confronted, coach Mike Schnur reportedly told them, 'I know it’s wrong but there’s nothing I can do', according to the outlet, and even shared that he could be fired if he spoke out about Thomas changing in the locker room.
The women have asked a judge to state that Thomas is not able to compete in the women’s races and to also vacate the records, as per The National News Desk.
The swimmers accused school administrators, the NCAA, the Ivy League of ensuring that Thomas could compete.
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LADbible Group has reached out to the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the Ivy League Council of Presidents and the NCAA for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]