Lia Thomas, the swimmer who once stood at the center of a heated national debate about transgender inclusion in collegiate athletics, has stepped back into the public eye in recent days, speaking candidly about her journey, the backlash she has faced, and her unwavering commitment to authenticity. At 26, Thomas finds herself both celebrated and scrutinized, her story emblematic of the broader clash over gender identity in sports, especially in the wake of sweeping policy changes and high-profile bans.
Thomas, a 2022 NCAA swimming champion, first made headlines in 2021 when, after transitioning, she began competing—and winning—on the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swim team. Previously, she had swum for Penn’s men’s team, but it was her record-breaking performances in the women’s division that ignited a national firestorm. By the end of the 2022 NCAA season, the university even nominated her for a “Woman of the Year” award, though she ultimately did not win.
In her first extensive interview in three years, granted to Pennsylvania Public Radio station WHYY on October 15, 2025, Thomas reflected on the emotional toll of her senior year and the years that followed. “With everything that happened my senior year and has happened since, it’s very easy to slip into almost like a negative perception of swimming,” she told WHYY. “Where swimming and being in the water just brings up all that pain and all those feelings of grief all over again and very fresh. It takes a lot of effort to try to focus on the joy that swimming still brings me.”
That pain has only deepened in the wake of recent developments. In 2025, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the introduction of new federal rules banning transgender athletes from women’s sports, the University of Pennsylvania erased Thomas’s women’s swimming records and issued a formal apology to her female competitors for allowing her to compete on the women’s team. The move came after mounting pressure from government officials and public outcry, leaving Thomas’s legacy at the university in limbo.
“It was a gut punch and it still hits me sometimes. It’s just like that aching grief at not being able to do the sport that I love,” Thomas admitted in her WHYY interview. The erasure of her records and the public apologies were not just administrative decisions—they were deeply personal blows, reopening wounds from her tumultuous collegiate experience and reigniting the national conversation about transgender athletes’ place in women’s sports.
Despite the controversy, Thomas has remained steadfast in her conviction that she did nothing wrong by competing in the women’s division. She has repeatedly stated that she would not do anything differently, even as her records have been deleted and her achievements called into question. “When I look back on my journey, on all the difficulties, all the highs and lows, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” she asserted. “There’s just no substitute to living and being your authentic self. But it unfortunately takes courage because of the many difficulties that there are surrounding being openly trans, especially being an openly trans athlete. But it’s absolutely worth it, and I know you can do it.”
Her advice to transgender youth has remained consistent and heartfelt. “It’s easier to fight the whole world than to fight yourself every day,” Thomas told WHYY. “Because when I look back on my journey, on all the difficulties, all the highs and lows, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.” She encourages young trans athletes to embrace their identities, no matter the obstacles: “There’s just no substitute to living and being your authentic self.”
Thomas’s journey has not only been defined by her athletic achievements and the subsequent backlash, but also by her personal growth and the evolution of her relationships. She revealed that coming out as transgender to her parents was “harder than anything else” she has faced since 2020. “They parroted a lot of really transphobic talking points, and it caused a lot of harm. But it wasn’t totally unsalvageable,” Thomas explained. Over time, her relationship with her parents has improved significantly, and she now describes them as her “biggest supporters.”
In addition to her collegiate swimming saga, Thomas has continued to challenge the boundaries of sports inclusion on the world stage. In 2024, she attempted to contest the World Aquatics ban on trans women in women’s competitions, a move that garnered international attention. Though her challenge was ultimately unsuccessful, it underscored her determination to fight for equality and her belief in the right of trans women to compete as women.
Thomas has also criticized what she sees as the selective acceptance of trans women in society and sports. “You don’t get to say, ‘You can be a woman in these situations, but not in these’ because you would never do that to a cis woman,” she told WHYY. “You would never say, ‘Oh there are only certain situations in which you can be a woman.’ For trans women, a lot of people think, ‘It’s OK that I can sort of be the arbiter and pick and choose when I see them as women’.” Her words reflect a broader frustration with policies and attitudes that, in her view, undermine the validity of transgender identities.
Despite the setbacks, Thomas has found reasons to celebrate. On October 16, 2025, she was honored at the Violet Visionary Awards in Los Angeles, receiving the “Voice Of Inspiration” award. In her acceptance speech, she thanked the mentors who supported her during her college years and spoke emotionally about the challenges she faced as a young trans woman. “It makes me very emotional because I remember all too well not that long ago being 18 and just realizing that I’m trans,” she said. “Feeling so excited at the prospect of being able to be who I am, but feeling so terrified to take those steps because I didn’t know any other trans people. Being open and out in myself felt like this impossible mountain climb, and I didn’t know if I had the strength to do it.”
Now a law student, Thomas continues to advocate for trans inclusion in sports, even as the legal and political landscape grows more hostile. Her story remains a lightning rod for debate, but for many, she is a symbol of resilience and authenticity. As the dust settles from the latest round of policy changes and institutional apologies, Thomas’s message to the next generation of athletes is clear: embrace your truth, even when the world pushes back.
As the controversy over transgender participation in sports continues to evolve, Lia Thomas stands as a testament to the enduring struggle for inclusion and the power of living authentically, no matter the cost.
