Women athletes speak out: forced undressing alongside transgender competitor Lia Thomas

AP Photo/Mary Schwalm

In a shocking exposé, a former University of Pennsylvania female swimmer has bravely come forward, shedding light on a controversial practice that has left the sports community in uproar. It has been alleged that female athletes were repeatedly forced to undress alongside Lia Thomas, a biological male competing on the women's team.

Unsettling reports indicate that this uncomfortable situation unfolded several times each week, leaving the female swimmers feeling violated and vulnerable. But when they dared to raise their voices in protest, they were instead offered psychological counseling, brushing off their concerns.

Paula Scanlan, currently representing the Independent Women's Forum, addressed a House Judiciary subcommittee last Thursday. During her testimony, she humbly mentioned that while she may not have been an NCAA champion, she proudly held the New England independent school league record in the 400-yard freestyle since March of 2017, a record that remains unbroken to this day.

“Lia, formerly Will, had personal best times in every freestyle event that were faster than the women’s world records,” she stated. “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.”

She added:

While many of you already know this, what you do not know is the experiences of the women of the University of Pennsylvania’s swim team.

My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia — a 6’4 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.

When we tried to voice our concerns to the athletic department, we were told that Lia swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable and we were offered psychological services to attempt to reeducate 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. The university was gaslighting and fearmongering women to validate the feelings and identity of a male.

WOMEN'S SPORTS ACTIVIST PAULA SCANLAN:

"We were told that Lia swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable, and we were offered psychological services to attempt to reeducate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male." pic.twitter.com/pA42el4J78

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In April, Thomas proposed that female athletes who express disapproval of his participation in women's sports are "transphobic," yet hesitant to openly acknowledge their feelings for fear of backlash from the woke mob.