Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Thomas at the championships in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam in with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy.

Thomas swam for Pennsylvania. She competed for the men’s team at Penn before her gender transition.

Thomas was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in any sport, finishing in front of three Olympic medalists for the championship. By not making the final, the lawsuit mentions that Florida swimmer Tylor Mathieu, who was not a plaintiff, was denied first-team All-American honors in that event.

Other plaintiffs included athletes from volleyball and track.

  • theotherverion@lemmynsfw.com
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    10 months ago

    If someone goes through gender transition and meets all biological tests (such as testosterone levels, etc.), I don’t see why they should not compete.

    • Sweetpeaches69@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I mean, at least in swimming something to be said about anatomical male vs anatomical female pelvices. Males pelvices are taller and have a more limited range of motion, whereas females are the opposite in both.

      Effectively, this means males overall are more capable at just a normal kick in a swim stroke, because their pelvices are fairly locked in their motion and less muscles are required to stabilize the movement. On the otherhand, females can be more capable in things like frog kicks.

      While biological tests are fine, someone’s sex does determine their bone structure, which can, like in swimming, affect performance. I’m sure there are other examples, but I swam so that’s my only experience.

    • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
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      10 months ago

      They were uncomfortable sharing a locker room, I see where you are coming from, but I can also see their point as well.

      Where do their comforts and rights stand compared to Lia’s?

      • Laurentide@pawb.social
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        10 months ago

        I’m sure a lot of white women felt uncomfortable sharing a locker room with black women when segregation ended. Comfort isn’t a good enough reason to have “whites only” locker rooms so why the hell would it justify “cis only” ones? It’s not Lia’s responsibility if Riley can only handle being around certain types of women.

      • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Quick question: why you staring at my body in the locker room? You trying to fuck me?

        When I’m in a locker room, spa, gym, any place where I can be naked around people… I’m minding my business. So really this says more about your perversions than anything else.

        • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
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          10 months ago

          I’m a guy, and I don’t want to see random dicks flopping around.

          I can understand their reservations, and to pretend that you can’t see an issue with this is to cast shade on every other fucking part of where we should be standing together, in my opinion.

          But opinions are like assholes. Everyone’s got one, and they usually stink.

          • Fushuan [he/him]@lemm.ee
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            10 months ago

            If you don’t see random dicks flopping around you ahrv not been in a locker room of basically any gym then, wtf. Let people change geez.

            • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
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              10 months ago

              We’re getting away from the point here that how I feel about any of this doesn’t matter

              I’m not the one on the lawsuit and I’m not the one in the changing room.

              Honestly, if it was me, I would go change in the bathroom portion of it not shower as long as I was there.

              I’m just that way, I don’t wanna see you naked, I don’t want you to see me naked.

              I don’t think other people should be forced to follow my way, that’s why I adapt myself to the situation.

              I would be fucking ecstatic if you offered me a locker room away from everyone else.

              But that’s just me and I get the most people aren’t that way

        • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          This is basically the take of any guy over 50 at the gym. I mean I adore their confidence, but eyes can’t censor… cover your junk.

      • ARk@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Careful there, you’re scaring them with that take

    • Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Because if they have gone through puberty as a man the physical advantages of height, muscle mass, muscle density etc. conferred upon them because of testosterone and other male hormones do not fully diminish even years after those hormones are fully suppressed.

    • fidodo@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It’s tricky because anabolic steroids are banned as performance enhancing drugs, but natural testosterone from being born male also has an anabolic effect, so you can argue it’s the equivalent of being given steroids during puberty and then waiting years for the current hormone levels to return to normal as an adult.

      • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        10 months ago

        this is also like arguing anything outside of “insert level” of hormones here is not acceptable, and therefore shouldn’t be allowed.

        Shit’s complicated and hard to deal with.