Lia Thomas transition journey is quite unconventional. She is the first trans-student-athlete to win the Division I National Champion and All-American titles in any sport. She is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania senior. Lia Thomas has made waves this NCAA season. She has produced several record-breaking performances in her first year as a trans-woman.
However, she has been under serious backlash for competing in women’s sports as she is biologically not a woman. Even though the NCAA rules allow transwomen to compete against women. This article will reveal the truth about Lia Thomas transition journey.
Lia Thomas Transition Began Towards The End Of High School
Lia wasn’t always effeminate. It was towards the end of her high school education at Austin Westlake High School that the changes began. According to Lia, she felt ‘disconnected’ from her body. So, when she got into the University of Pennsylvania, she began to make conscious efforts for her transition. She carried out extensive research about trans women and got herself a trans mentor. Then from then on, she started getting clarity about her person and sexuality.
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Lia Thomas Parents Are Supportive Of Her
haven discovered herself and settled down in her own skin, Lia was faced with the dilemma of opening up to her family. She was scared and confused at first but to her greatest surprise, when she told her brother, In the summer between freshman and sophomore, he was extremely supportive.
Likewise her parents. Bob and Carrie Thomas, sensed she was tensed but couldn’t place their hands on the cause. So when she eventually came out to them, they were more than pleased to accept and support her with love and care. Her mother even helped her pick the name, Lia. Then she chooses her mother’s birthname, Catherine, to be her middle name. And in 2020, she officially changed her name to Lia Catherine Thomas. She
Lia Struggled To Come Out To Her Coaches And Friends
Indeed, at the end of the day, all we got left is family. This was the case for Lia. while she found ease coming out to her family, Lia found it extremely difficult to come out to her swim coahes and friends. She couldn’t muster the courage to tell them for a very long time.
Shee battled depression in silence and feared going to school or social gatherings. Everyone knew that something was off with her but couldn’t place it. Even her best friend, Andie Myers it was obvious she was struggling inside to say something but couldn’t.
It was not until when she started HRT in May 2019 that she felt more confident and comfortable about herself. Then she mustered the courage to open up to coaches and friends. And to her uttermost surprise, they were just as supportive as her family. She told Sports Illustrated that:
“It’s a milestone in a very long process of transitioning where you feel like this is who I am, and I’m going to live this. In a way, it was sort of a rebirth, for the first time in my life, feeling fully connected to my name and who I am and living who I am.”
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Lia Thomas Transition Was Fastracked By Hormonal Replacement Therapy
Lia Thomas transition was quite a lot. She had to make some personal sacrifices before she fully arrived at this stage. When she decided to transition into a woman, She was first placed on Hormonal Replacement Therapy ( HRT). Unfortunately, the side effects were quite turbulent for her.
At some point, she had to quit swimming because she thought she may never get to compete again as the HRT made her lose masculine strength drastically. She even had to go to therapy to help her mental health and cope with the transition.
Eventually, she joined the women’s team two years after starting HRT. Lia was an elite distance swimmer in high school. When she got into the University of. Pennsylvania, In the 2018-19 season. Lia won second place in three Ivy championship races before heading to swim at the NCAA championships.
Lia Thomas Is Yet To Undergo Surgery
When Lia picked up swimming again, she joined the women’s team and it has caused a lot of uproar since then. Per a report by The Daily Mail, some of Lia’s teammates felt uncomfortable around Lia in the locker room. This is because of her male sex organ. While Lia only took HRT she is yet to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
She is still very masculine in appearance and is rumored to still be sexually attracted to women. Unfortunately, the school has refused to bar her from the women’s locker room. So, until when and if she gets surgery, her swim mates will have to deal with the awkward situation.
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Conclusion
Lia Thomas has gotten a lot of attention, both negative and positive. More negative because some people are of the opinion that she shouldn’t be allowed to be in the women’s sport let alone in the same locker room. And the pits of positive attention go to her skill and how tactful she swims.
