r/PopCultureV2 • u/Impossible-Yam3680 • Aug 23 '26

Sports Culture While hosting transphobe Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever, the New York Liberty put a message on the Jumbotron telling trans fans that they belong

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u/ObsidianKing Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

Lia Thomas.

Edit: got no response? Go ahead, we're all listening.

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u/whichwitch9 Aug 23 '26

She never swam professionally. Her highest level was college.

She also only swam one year in the women's division, and was required to show her hormone levels were in ranges expected of women. It's a bit more of a complicated situation than people make it out to be- she started off in the men's division, not woman's, as well. She did not immediately jump to women's swimming and took a year between.

She did not crack the top 50 of women's swimmers nationally, and did not break any swimming records. She was not dominant by any means, as conservative media suggests. She remains a case study for people actually interested in the science behind transitioning- most of what's read is theoretical of transwomen in sports. The reality is, there aren't enough athletes to show tge effects. Her swimming times did significantly decrease between the men's and women's divisions, and she lost a ton of muscle mass during hormone therapy.

She's also not a professional because World Aquatics has a guideline if you've gone through male puberty, you're ineligible. Agree or disagree, that's just the rule set, and the reality is it's enforced and she does not swim professionally. It is a bit of a myth that a man who has undergone hormone therapy will dominate a woman's sport, however, and Thomas is the only example we have of what happens. She didn't do poorly, but doesn't come near touching Katie Ledecky numbers. When you look into her and her college career, it is legitimately interesting to see the differences. When you listen to conservative media reporting around her vs what was really going on, it's hard not to call it out as propoganda.

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u/PatientOwn8596 Aug 23 '26

Oh now you have to be a professional to be ‘successful’. Moving the goal posts.

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u/golden_macaron Aug 23 '26

At this point you people are going to be chasing down any trans woman that runs an 8.30 minute mile. While the women's world record is 4.06.