Staff Reports
Paula Scanlan, a former teammate of Lia Thomas and a transgender swimmer, has spoken out about being suppressed by the university in the new interview "What Is A Woman." The interview revealed the inequity and discomfort felt by female athletes, as well as the campus environment's silence towards dissenting voices.
NEW: Lia Thomas' former teammate reveals disgusting details about sharing a locker room with him in new interview.
“It was definitely uncomfortable.”
“You hear all these women’s voices, and then all of a sudden you hear a man’s voice.”
Those poor women!https://t.co/i0APUdmTZR
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) June 6, 2023
Paula Scanlan disclosed the disturbing reality that has engulfed her college swimming program. She revealed that the announcement of Will Thomas' transition to the women's team, subsequently referred to as Lia Thomas, caused unrest and discomfort among the female athletes.
As a Taiwanese citizen as well as a US citizen. I’m able to see first hand the impact the decisions we make in America have on the world. Americans we need to step up and do the right thing.
— Paula Scanlan (@PaulaYScanlan) June 6, 2023
The former teammate was told, "Lia may be changing in a different locker room or may continue to use the men's locker room." "However, after examining the locker room layout, I determined that Lia had a cubicle in the female locker room. Therefore, it was confirmed that this would undoubtedly occur, and there was never any further discussion about it. So I said, "Okay, I suppose this is the truth."
From 2017 to 2020, Lia Thomas was a member of the men's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2021 and 2022, he transitioned to the women's swim team. In March 2022, he became the first openly transgender athlete to earn an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport. He won the women's 500-yard freestyle competition. His transition and athletic success sparked controversy regarding transgender participation in women's athletics.
Unsurprisingly, the presence of a male athlete in the women's locker room caused concern. Scanlan stated, "It was certainly unsettling. I did observe a few females changing for practice in the bathroom stalls, which is something I've never seen before. When you're changing and there are a lot of people conversing in the background, you hear all these women's voices, and then you hear a man's voice. I would always leap a little bit."
Scanlan uncovered the university's efforts to stifle criticism and dissent. One teammate voiced her displeasure and went to the athletic department in tears. However, after consulting with the department, she had a radical change of heart. The former teammate reminisced, "When she returned from the meeting, it was the most magical, beautiful thing that we were a part of this groundbreaking team." Scanlan observed that there was something going on in the athletic department that wanted them to remain silent, and that the situation was frightening.
Scanlan disclosed the university's efforts to control the narrative and silence debate. They threatened the athletes and warned, "Don't talk to the media, you will regret it." In addition, they made it obvious that "Lia Thomas's" swimming was non-negotiable and provided athletes with counseling services to help them cope with the situation.
Scanlan painted a disturbing image of a university's athletic department and administration ignoring the concerns of female athletes and mandating silence. She added, "It's discouraging, and there have already been cases of athletes quitting their activities due to this. Again, I do not know what that would look like, but I do not believe there will be true women's athletics."
