Lia Thomas - New Trans Athlete Guidance

I think Thomas is so privileged and so unconcerned with the effects on women that he is really up for being the political football, in fact he might have self nominated to be the standard bearer for the most marginalised (Harvard isn't it )

How are they going to measure advantage? Males competing against women are always going to be advantaged. And I don't go to watch women's sport to watch males who say their identity is female. I want to see the best of what women can do. Females. Not males who say they are women. The only way to deal with this farce is to have a blanket ban on all males competing in women only sport. Regardless of their gender identity. Most people don't get to be top athletes. Transwomen need to compete in their own sex class or accept that they too don't get to be top athletes, just like the majority of the population. Playing against women doesn't demonstrate that they are top athletes, it just demonstrates how easy it is for them to use women's sport to their advantage. It's cheating. The system has allowed them to do so.

It may force the College sports orgs to follow suit??

In reading the article, I am very surprised at them leaving this open at non-elite levels. Really does seem like they might be doing the least for PR as they can.

It is like - we see there is an issue. We give you ‘x’ but we cannot be seen to be mean so the rest of you women and girls, suck it up princesses.

It will be very interesting to see what Thomas does here. Because USA swimming has effectively called Thomas a cheat. And Thomas knows the only people supporting them are heavily invested in the prestige Thomas winning will bring or heavily invested in forcing trans inclusion to the disadvantage of females. So Thomas is also now a political football in the swimming pool.

"Elite athletes will need to show that prior physical development of the athlete as a male does not give the athlete a competitive advantage over female competitors and evidence of 36 months of lowered testosterone (

So technically a really weedy wee fella with rubbish lung capacity and arms like matchsticks could claim that their physical development have them no advantage?

But Lia Thomas isn't a member of USA Swimming, so it won't affect Lia. but bad press has and will

Hmm. It's a good step, but there are still issues. At least it baldly states the facts about the differences between men and women and their speed.

But Lia Thomas isn't a member of USA Swimming, so it won't affect Lia.

So unless the male has not been through male puberty the onus is on them to prove they don’t retain advantage.

And the onus is on them.

Potentially this is good news. Let’s see if they keep to it. I imagine the outcry will be huge.

Those mean women for complaining. Naughty women. And the coach is going to be livid!! No more potential records and wiping the pool.

This might be a first stage. Although trans swimmers may be able to throw a few races, they will not be able to disguise the clear visual differences in strength. It's a 'holding' policy because there has clearly been a massive backlash

@TheAbbotOfUnreason Agreed, but why is it worded in a way that implies there’s a chance that being born male may not have an advantage and that this can be demonstrated? It would have been clearer to say no to male bodies in women’s competition.

So what does this mean in practice? If they throw 1 race in 3 then everything is fine and dandy?

What about the women losing out on a swim team place to a male who reduces his T just enough and throws just enough races for authorities to turn a blind eye?

What about the women and girls at lower levels of the sport who may give up or never join in the first place because it's now mixed sex competition?

What about the women and girls who don't want to get naked in a changing space that is now mixed sex and don't want to see penises in there?

They've tried to do the bare minimum to appear 'fair' with this policy and it's not designed with the interests of women and girls in mind.

No advantage= been on puberty blockers since childhood?

But I bet the TRAs will be up in arms today about the injustice. 3 years is a big time increase.

I think subjective criteria like that are so much more unkind that just a blanket ban. They should have just said these competitions are limited to females whereas now they've got themselves in a situation of making people argue that their maleness doesn't give them an advantage.

Makes me think of Lauren Jeska commiting attempted murder when UK Athletics were requesting samples etc and documents www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/14/champion-runner-lauren-jeska-jailed-for-attempted-of-uk-athletics-official-ralph-knibbs

How would they demonstrate that prior physical development doesn’t give an advantage? Surely it just does?

The only way that men would not have any physical advantage over women in any sport would be if those men were actually women who were identifying as men.
At a push, they would have to be men who did not go through any stage of puberty, so had been on puberty blockers from a very young age. As a primary school teacher, I see many many boys who’s strength far outweighs that of their age equivalent girls once they hit 9 or 10 years old.