A man walked into my locker room at the University of Pennsylvania, ready to compete on the women’s swim team. He was six foot four, and had spent three years swimming on the men’s team. We were told to call him a teammate, and the adults in charge expected us to act like it was normal. Girls who didn’t were treated like the problem.
That’s what happened when Lia Thomas (né William) joined the Penn women’s swim team in 2021.
My teammates and I raised our concerns to our coaches and the school administration. Repeatedly. We said how unsafe it felt to shower and undress in front of a man, how unfair it was to practice and race against one. Whatever he believed about himself, it should not have been our job to affirm it.
Talking to the people running our program got us nowhere. Instead of protection, we were offered counseling to help us come to terms with undressing in front of a male. The athletic department called a meeting. Lia being on the team was non-negotiable, they said. Speak out and regret it for the rest of your life. We needed safety. Instead, we got something out of George Orwell’s 1984: Sit in the room long enough, until you agree the man in front of you isn’t really a man.
