OAN’s Noah Herring
1:20 PM – Thursday, July 27, 2023
Former NCAA Division I swimmer Paula Scanlan, who was a teammate of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the University of Pennsylvania, testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Thursday.
She shared her experiences and the impact Thomas had on the team.
Scanlan, who currently serves as a spokesperson and advisor for the Independent Women’s Forum, testified during a hearing on “gender-affirming care for minors.”
During the hearing, Scanlan indicated that university officials disregarded the concerns of the female athletes on the team and told them that Thomas joining them was “non-negotiable.”
“Once the season began, Thomas was leading the country in multiple events, while only placing in the top 500 in those events on the men’s team. Thomas later became an NCAA champion in the 500-yard freestyle — the first NCAA champion in our women’s team history program. While many of you already know this, what you do not know is the experience of the women on the University of Pennsylvania swim team,” Scanlan said during her opening statement.
Scanlan spoke on the uncomfortable experiences she and her teammates endured during their time with Thomas while in the women’s locker room.
“My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a 6-foot-4 tall biological male, fully intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week. Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls, and others used the family bathroom to avoid this,” She said. “When we tried to voice our concerns to the athletic department, we were told that Lia’s swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable, and we were offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male.”
“To sum up the university’s response, we the women were the problem, not the victims. We were expected to conform, to move over and shut up. Our feelings didn’t matter,” she added.
Scanlan also revealed in an emotional response how Thomas’s presence greatly affected her as a previous survivor of sexual assault.
“This is real. I know women who have lost roster spots and spots on the podium. I know of women with sexual trauma who are adversely impacted by having biological males in their locker room without their consent. I know this because I am one of these women,” said Scanlan.
“I was sexually assaulted on June 3rd of 2016. I was only 16 years old. I was able to forgive my attacker but violence against women still exists. Let us not forget the viral #MeToo movement that empowered female victims to speak up. It casts a spotlight on the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and abuse, including in scholarly and educational institutions.”
Thomas’ involvement on the team reportedly caused much division among the swimmers.
While some swimmers supported Thomas, 16 others had submitted an anonymous group-letter calling out the school for challenging rules that would have banned Thomas from swimming with biological women.
Despite the letter, Thomas was still allowed to swim, going from 554th in the nation when competing against men in the 2018–2019 season to 5th when competing against women in the 2021–2022 season.
The transgender swimmer also beat Ivy League records in the 500 and 200 meter freestyle.
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