Olympic Swimmer Makes Her Opinion On Lia Thomas Very Clear
An Olympic swimmer who competed against Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has made her opinion on the matter extremely clear.
Thomas, a transgender swimmer for the Penn women’s team, won the 500 meter freestyle at the NCAA Championships this week.
Erica Sullivan, an Olympic silver medalist who came in third in the event, is speaking out in support of Thomas.
“All athletes — including transgender athletes — deserve to be respected and included, exactly as we are,” Sullivan wrote in an op-ed for Newsweek. “Throughout my life, swimming has enabled me to learn so much both in and out of the pool, and transgender athletes should not be excluded from this opportunity.”
Sullivan is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, as well.
“Lia Thomas has been unfairly targeted for just that — for being who she is, a transgender woman,” Sullivan wrote. “Like