What to know about transgender swimmer Lia Thomas
FILE - University of Pennsylvania athlete Lia Thomas prepares for the 500 meter freestyle event at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 17, 2022, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore]
Lia Thomas is a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who drew harsh criticism for her success as the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I championship in 2022, the year she graduated. Thomas is now in the news again after the White House announced the Trump administration has suspended approximately $175 million in federal funding for Penn over the swimmer in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order designed to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports.
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