Lia Thomas: ‘Trans Women Are Not a Threat to Women’s Sports’

(Via Mediaite)

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas used part of her first ever TV interview to respond to critics who argue she held an unfair advantage as she competed on the women’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania.

Following her graduation from UPenn, Thomas spoke to ABC News’ Juju Chang about her struggles with gender dysphoria before she started the process of transitioning from male to female. She also spoke of how she hesitated on transitioning beforehand because she was afraid of not being able to swim competitively anymore.

“I was barely going to classes. I could really barely get out of bed,” Thomas explained. “I said, ‘I can’t live like this anymore. I want to live again. I want to be able to do things I enjoy.'”