A former college swimmer who competed against Lia Thomas talked about her ‘extreme discomfort’ when changing next to the transgender athlete because of Thomas’ “different parts”.
In a new interview with Tucker Carlson on the host’s Fox news Digital show, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines accused the organizers of not disclosing that Thomas would be using the women’s changing facilities.
She told Carlson on the latest issue of ‘Tucker Carlson Today’: ‘We weren’t warned about that, which I don’t think is right in any way, turning into a dressing room with someone who has other parts.’
The University of Kentucky 2022 graduate continued, “So not only did we have to race one man, we also had to change in the locker room with one.”
Gaines continued, “And then we sit there, not even knowing who to talk to, who to complain to, because this was all happening behind the scenes and very discreetly.”
Speaking to Carlson, Gaines accused the National Collegiate Athletic Association of a “huge lack of responsibility” in protecting the integrity of women’s sports.
Gaines told Carlson in her interview: ‘I don’t think it’s right in any way to change into a dressing room with someone who has different parts’
Riley Gaines (pictured right), University of Kentucky swimmer and one of the nominees for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, speaks out after University of Pennsylvania-nominated transgender swimmer Lia Thomas (pictured left) for the prestigious award
Gaines, who has been competing since she was ten, tied with Thomas for fifth in the NCAA 200-yard freestyle championships in March.
Since then, Gaines has been outspoken in her opposition to Thomas’ presence in women’s racing. On July 27, Gaines was confirmed as a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in August.
Since Gaines first came out against Thomas’ participation in the women’s section, Gaines said, “I’ve had so much support, like it’s insane. That tells me who the majority is, what the general population thinks, even if you’re not an athlete, if you’re not a woman. It’s like we said: common sense.’
The NCAA Woman of the Year nominee said all the good swimmers in the country know who the other good swimmers are. She said, “Your better swimmers know your better swimmers, no matter what school or conference you attend.”
She continued: ‘You participate internationally together. Even if you’re not in the same collegiate team, you’ve probably been in teams before.’
Gaines said she felt the collective frustration of the “only one percent of female athletes” who make it into NCAA competitions
In her interview, Gaines, a resident of Gaitlin, Tennessee, said she first learned about the identity of Lia Thomas in November 2021.
She told Carlson: “Suddenly, out of the blue, this article has been posted that says ‘Lia Thomas, swimmer at UPenn, sets 1.41 200m freestyle,’ which is a very, very fast time.”
It was then that Gaines found out that Thomas had been competing in the men’s NCAA division for the past three years.
Gaines said, “I basically just continued my training because I thought, this might be a good thing. But, as it turned out, two weeks before our national championships, the NCAA announced that Lia will be competing with the women, and I was just stunned.”
She added: “I think people forget that women’s sports were a protected group. The category was created because there was no way the playing field was level when you let them play against men.”
When Thomas was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022, Gaines tweeted that the nomination is “another slap in the face for women” and that the “NCAA has made this award worthless.”
‘[T]being is yet another slap in the face of women. First a female national title and now nominated for the top prize in collegiate athletics. The NCAA has rendered this award worthless,” Gaines wrote.
Gaines and Thomas were known for finishing fifth in the NCAA Women’s 200m Championships in March, but since there was only one trophy, Gaines was told by the event organizers that the trophy would be given to Thomas, while hers would be sent to a later time.
Gaines wasn’t the only female athlete to tweet her outrage.
Gaines said she believes Lia’s participation now violates women’s rights across the board. “It’s just all wrong. I’m pretty sure I speak for the vast majority of female athletes and this is just not okay. And it’s not fair,’ said Gaines
Navratilova, who has won the most major titles in women’s tennis in the Open Era, also took to Twitter to mock the nomination.
“Not Enough Amazing Biological Female Athletes, NCAA?!? What’s wrong with you?!!!!!!!?’ she tweeted.
In April, Gaines told Tucker Carlson in an interview: “I know I’m just talking to tons and tons of NCAA swimmers that their sports directors, their media people and their coaches or other outside influencers have told them, ‘Don’t say anything, just avoid the situation, save the face a little bit.’
‘But I’m just lucky to I have such a great support system at the University of Kentucky, whether that’s from the athletic director to my head coach,” Gaines explained.
“But to speak for them is just all wrong. I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m pretty sure I speak for the vast majority of female athletes and this is just not okay. And it’s not fair. “We’re dealing with something that we have absolutely no control over when we race, biological men whether they have different lung capacities, their height, testosterone levels, whether they have taken testosterone blockers are not.
“It doesn’t suppress puberty as a man. Especially Lia who swam as a male for three years. It’s completely unfair and it really is a matter of justice.”
THE RULES FOR TRANSGENDER ATHLETES AND WHEN THEY CAN COMPETE FOR GENDER SWITCHING
Thomas previously competed on the UPenn men’s swim team as Will for three years before moving on in 2019 (pictured in 2016 and 2017 respectively)
Lia Thomas started hormone therapy in May 2019 while still competing as a male.
U.S. swimming rules required athletes to have recorded low levels of testosterone for 36 months to compete in the female category.
That meant Thomas wouldn’t qualify for the NCAA Championship, if they followed the U.S. swimming rules — as they had originally said.
But the NCAA said it would be allowed to participate because they refused to pass the threshold in 2021.
The NCAA committee said, “The subcommittee has decided to make additional changes at this time that could unfairly and potentially adversely affect schools and student-athletes planning to compete in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships.” .’
It is not yet clear what they will do next year.