College Female Athletes Sue NCAA Over Its Transgender Policies

Penn Universitys transgender swimmer Lia Thomas holds her medal during a award presentation after taking first place in the 500 yard freestyle race with a time of 4.37.32 during the championship final race in heat three during the Women's Ivy League Swimming & Diving Championships at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 17, 2022. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) — (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
1:51 PM -Friday, March 15, 2024

Multiple college swimmers and volleyball players are suing the NCAA over its transgender policies, according to a lawsuit that was filed on Thursday.

The filed lawsuit claims that the athletes’ rights granted from the Title IX gender equity law were violated after transgender athlete Lia Thomas was allowed to compete in the NCAA 2022 swimming national championship.

Thomas is a biological man who competitively swam for the men’s division up until recently when Thomas made the switch to the women’s division. Thomas went from 19^th place in the men’s division to 1^st place in the women’s division, winning a Division 1 title.

The lawsuit goes into detail about the competitions that Thomas had won over other biological women in the NCAA, including competitions that involved former Kentucky swimmer and advocate Riley Gaines.

“The NCAA did not protect me or my fellow swimmers or even warn us of what to expect. My privacy and safety were being violated in the locker room,” said Kylee Alons, a 31-time All-American swimmer who competed against Thomas.

“Even if Thomas wasn’t in there, I felt I had to have some sort of privacy,” added Alons, an ambassador for Young Women for America, a college political organization.

Ultimately, the group is aiming to stop transgender athletes from being allowed to compete on teams that do not match their biological sex, as well as for the awards given to transgender athletes to be given to other competitors.

The NCAA responded to the lawsuit, stating that they will ensure all competitions in NCAA sports are fair.

“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America, and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships,” the NCAA said in a statement.

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