Thomas, of course, is the transgender female who formerly competed as a three-year member of the Penn’s men’s squad. She is the top seed, the reigning Ivy League champion and in a competitive realm far from what she knew a few years ago, when qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Championships was – based on her skill level – far from an attainable goal. Penn didn’t qualify to race any relays at NCAAs, so Thomas will make her debut on Thursday, during the prelims of the 500 freestyle. Thomas will not be in action on this first day of competition, where only the 200-yard medley relay and 800 freestyle relay are contested. Today, the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships begin in Atlanta. It has sent a message that women’s sports are unimportant. It has simultaneously ignored and tried to silence its students. It has favored one individual over the team. The University of Pennsylvania operated in similar fashion. They made it clear that their female athletes – specifically swimmers – were inconsequential. They made it clear that Thomas was a priority. From the early days of the Lia Thomas debate, the conference and college-sports governing body made it clear they would wholly support one swimmer over hundreds of athletes. Lia Thomas Saga: With NCAA Championships Now Here, Betrayal of Female Athletes Continues

Betrayal 2 by Lady Harris