The NCAA Division 1 Swimming and Diving Championships are known amongst the swimming community as one of the most competitive swim meets in the world. The NCAA D1 Collegiate Championship meet is the platform where many future Olympians first establish their dominance on the national level. There are many standouts and record-breaking swims in this high-level competition.
One of these standout swimmers, Lia Thomas, has been the source of fierce debate following her standout performances in the 100, 200, and 500-yard freestyle swims. Thomas made her mark this past week as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA D1 swimming title. Thomas swept all three of these events in record-setting margins, taking down Olympian Katie Zigler’s pool record in the 500 freestyle swim. Thomas also set the pool record in the 100 and 200-yard freestyle.
Even though Thomas has followed all of the NCAA’s regulations and guidelines regarding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, her swims have still found themselves in the epicenter of the nation’s debate about the fairness in women’s sports.
Those guidelines state that “transgender women swimmers who are USA Swimming athletes must maintain a testosterone level below 5 nanomoles per liter continuously for at least 36 months before the competition.”
USA Swimming also states, “In addition to testosterone levels, transgender women must provide evidence that they do not have a competitive advantage from being assigned male at birth. The evidence will be reviewed by a panel of three independent medical experts.”
These guidelines for trans athletes are not to discriminate against them competing, but to ensure fairness to all athletes.
On Jan 19, 2022, the NCAA announced that it would be adapting its rules regarding trans-athletes to a more sports-specific approach. At the time, USA Swimming’s policy for athletes transferred to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy. However, that was also surrounded by disagreement following a policy change in November 2021 that gave each international federation to create their own policies, though the IOC would provide guidance. In this case, these rules were set in place by USA Swimming, the international governing body for swimming.
“This update complicates the NCAA policy in a way that I don’t believe they are equipped to handle,” Chris Mosier, duathlete and transgender inclusion athlete, stated in an interview after the NCAA’s statement was released, “Given that many national governing bodies have not created policies for transgender athletes and that policies vary from sport to sport, tracking compliance is going to be a nightmare for the NCAA. This creates many different standards for trans athletes.”
Swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar, three-time Olympic gold medalist and silver medalist stated in an ESPN interview, “The new NCAA policy sounds a lot like the old one,” Hogshead-Makar said. “The board hasn’t resolved the intractable balancing between fairness, playing safety, and inclusion. They failed women by not prioritizing fairness.”
Sophomore Ashlyn Bell says, “In my opinion, trans women have an advantage over biological women because trans women are still biologically men. Men have longer and larger bones which can be an advantage over women athletes.”
Senior Lauren Taylor says “I think that what most people should consider is that trans people just want to pursue their passions for sports, just as any other person would. Trans women aren’t out to get cis women. Trans women, in fact, all trans people, would like to exist in peace. And enjoy the same things they used to do before their transition, like sports.”
People who have gone through male testosterone-driven puberty have more than 15 times the amount of testosterone than females do. Males also tend to have, on average, greater cardiovascular capacity, greater muscle mass, denser bones, and higher tendon mechanical strength. This makes male athletes stronger, taller, and with greater muscle mass than female athletes. In sports involving timed races, men are 10-12% faster than women.
That’s where the fairness question comes in that has been dividing the nation. Studies show that trans-female athletes also have greater hand size, feet size, height, and muscle mass, even after testosterone suppressants. These factors are nearly impossible to change after going through male-driven puberty.
Many trans-rights activists are saying that inclusivity changes have been warranted to be made for a long time. Many trans athletes have had intense mental battles in their struggle for self-acceptance and coming out to family and friends. Studies show that at least half of people that identify as transgender experience symptoms of anxiety or depression. Over 41% of transgender men and women have been estimated to have attempted suicide
The Ivy League has stated multiple times that it is open and inclusive in supporting trans athlete’s endeavors of competing.
The White House and the Biden Administration have also made statements of their support for trans athletes. Since taking office in 2021, President Biden has been making bills to help the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports. “Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love,” the bill reads, “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”
USA Swimming has stated in an article for ESPN, “USA Swimming has and will continue to champion gender equity and the inclusivity of all cisgender and transgender women and their rights to participate in sport, while also fervently supporting competitive equity at elite levels of competition,” USA Swimming said in a statement. “While recognizing the need for the aforementioned guidelines in elite competition, sport is an important vehicle for positive physical and mental health, and, for this reason, USA Swimming remains steadfast in its continued commitment to greater inclusivity at the non-elite levels.”
