Penn’s Lia Thomas breaks 200/500 Free records in meet with Princeton, Cornell

[Helleofabore]

USA women’s freestyle swimming records were broken this weekend!!!

To all those who keep using the ‘scale’ argument to justify inclusion of males in female sport, tell us again how it takes more than one male competing in female sport to significantly and negatively impact that sport?

I am very happy to hear your well thought out and evidenced reasoning.

swimswam.com/penns-lia-thomas-breaks-200-500-free-records-in-meet-with-princeton-cornell/

Penn’s Lia Thomas blasted the number one 200 free time and the second-fastest 500 free time in the nation on Saturday, breaking Penn program records in both events. She swept the 100-200-500 free individual events and contributed to the first-place 400 free relay in a tri-meet against Princeton and Cornell in her home pool.

Sounds wonderful until you realise that for their first three years competing in the competition, they competed as a male.

twitter.com/coachblade/status/1465517693386121217?s=21

Coach Linda Blade’s tweet says :

Well of course women’s records are being smashed!

Lia competed as male for first three years in #NCAA.

This is not right!

We need to return to #SexBasedSports!

#SexNotGender to preserve fairness for female athletes.

twitter.com/ivyleague/status/1479165876007886852?s=21

Ivy League has tweeted a statement in support of Thomas. And the league’s universities have started to retweet.

@PermanentTemporary

The Mail's agenda in the UK is that this issue distracts from the egregious crapness of the Tories in so many other areas, and is an obvious weak spot for Labour in appealing to voters outside a limited section of their own voting base. A significant number of people believe that women 'naturally' behave one way and men 'naturally' behave another way - that sex=gender behaviour. This is not the analysis that most feminist women who are gender critical want to promote; it undermines feminism.

I do think that those of us with GC views are naive if we don't think there will be, or is, a right-wing backlash against any attempt to argue that women have particular needs as a sex.

The Mails agenda is always what get clicks and these stories are clearly getting a lot of attention

Some interesting photos of Lia and teammates both male and female in the Daily Mail today

@Helleofabore

twitter.com/ivyleague/status/1479165876007886852?s=21

Ivy League has tweeted a statement in support of Thomas. And the league’s universities have started to retweet.

Fuckers. Stupid arrogant fuckers.

I've posted before on this thread saying none of the mainstream US newpapers are giving this any coverage - as in not covering how this affects the other swimmers on the UPenn women's team and the women's teams they compete against

But it occurred to me the other day that they aren't covering this amazing "female" athlete who is blowing away records either. If a biological female was doing those times in the ivy league competitions there would be absolute coverage in the sports pages here saying "here's an amazing olympic hopeful/she is blowing the competition out of the water/this is the US's best hope for women's swimming". There is nothing that I can see. Everyone knows it is a cheat. they can't cover the cheating but they certainly aren't covering the amazing breakthrough "female" swimmer Lia Thomas either.

Yes Pallisers you’ve nailed it there. They know. How much longer can they hope to hold this info down?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10382019/Trans-UPenn-swimmer-Lia-Thomas-wins-200m-freestyle-race-two-seconds.html

The latest installment . Thomas is now seeming to have slowed down. Or maybe just the short distance. I wonder if the long distance is tomorrow.

Hmm. seems like Lia lost to Iszac “Iszac Henig, easily beat out his opponents in the women's 100-yard freestyle”. doesn’t this get more and more bizarre?

That's an interesting latest installment. It seems that Lia was beaten by a swimmer called Iszac who is transitioning from female to male, but still swimming in the women's race.

Maybe this is a sign that trans people will shortly need their own sporting categories so that women can continue to compete fairly against other women and not born males or women transitioning to be men with their strength enhanced by drugs?

@Plasmodesmata

That's an interesting latest installment. It seems that Lia was beaten by a swimmer called Iszac who is transitioning from female to male, but still swimming in the women's race.

Its fucking ridiculous

No consistency

I honestly don’t know how anyone can look at this and think its ok

Its infuriating

To be fair to Iszac they have not started taken any hormones, and have had a double mastectomy and socially transitioned only, in order to still be eligible for the women's swim team. I think we can all work out why Iszac hasn't opted to try and gain a place on the men's swim team.

Good for Iszac.

So Iszac isn't allowed to take testosterone in order to still be eligible for the women's team. Not even to get to the level of testosterone that Lia is allowed to have?

I'm really happy that Iszac is swimming in the women's race, if Iszac is female. That is consistent!

Well yes. So it's obviously not impossible for someone who is transitioning to continue to compete in their original category.

Having a mastectomy will help performance.

I sympathise with the parent whoisquoted as saying she just can’t get her head round it all.

Most females who transition continue to compete in the female category. You have to dig to find it out, but if you dig, the information is there. I mean - of course they do.

This is all very interesting and as others have said leaves the other swimmers out picture. Tbf though would it have been reported in large circulation press otherwise. Probably not.

-The winner not on testosterone so with women fine.

• Anyone who knows differences male female (essentially 8 billion people) knows male competing against female, just not fair at all
• Winner then is massive talent. If keeps leaving everyone behind obv could be international star win all the time Olympics etc.

• when testosterone though, has to compete men and level of success let's wait and see

• Women can and do beat men at physical stuff. Obviously men women differences broadly. In this area, one female beating a male doesn't prove that across the board we aren't fucked.

• Of course this will be greeted with cheers as proof mixed sex sport aok.

• As was Hubbard's Olympic performance. Just popped into mind don't know why.

Still there's something I feel bit odd here. Probably wrong who knows.

Hmmmm.

Trans woman criticised for competing in women's events and beating all the competition by enormous amounts mysteriously starts to lose to trans man. Observers are reported to have said trans woman appears to be "not really trying".

I wonder what could be causing this strange result that apparently undermines the criticism Thompson previously received for having a biological advantage? I'm sure Thompson wouldn't throw the race. No. That could never happen.

It's missing the point to suggest that if Lia doesn't win it's all fine and nothing to worry about. There is still a woman who has lost her place on the team.

So I could misgender someone who identifies as a man but races for the women's team? What about being 'validated' and it all being 'innate'? It is until you want to carry on doing something you enjoy and you're good at?

(And said has had what looks like potentially beneficial cosmetic surgery?)

A friend asked me whether there were any women in this women's race...

@PermanentTemporary

I'm really happy that Iszac is swimming in the women's race, if Iszac is female. That is consistent!

Yes it is….

But having males in the female race because they are transitioning and transitioning females in the the female race is not consistent

Obviously

Just checked the meaning of consistent

‘acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate’