Former UPenn women’s college swimmer Paula Scanlan testified on Thursday in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee.
Her testimony, heartbreaking and infuriating in equal measure, revealed what it was like being forced to share a locker room with Lia Thomas, a biological male who competed on the women’s team.
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas enters for the 200 Freestyle final during the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18th, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
After her testimony, Scanlan spoke to OutKick to expand on what her time sharing a team with Thomas was like, how it impacted her and most importantly, the reaction inside UPenn when she raised her concerns.
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Scanlan previously explained that UPenn’s response to concerns from female swimmers was to offer “psychological services” to their athletes. When asked what the reaction was within the team to being offered essentially a form of therapy to deal with the administration’s response, Scanlan said she and others thought it was a “very interesting move.” It was something that they viewed as a form of “re-education.”
“Therapy is supposed to help you think differently,” she explained. “It felt like they wanted thought reform instead of providing resources. There was not a lot of internal discussion afterwards, there were other people who thought it was pretty ridiculous.”
Additionally, Scanlan said, “No one took them up on [their offer of psychological services].” She continued, “That should show it did not seem to be an effective solution to your problems.”
Paula Scanlan On Penn’s Political Motivation
When asked why she believed the university was more protective of Thomas’s feelings than hers or her teammates, Scanlan explained that she believed political pressure and desire to be seen as progressive outweighed other considerations.
“In general, there’s a big fear of going against what is considered the norm or socially accepted, generally among universities and among my age group, you have to be accepting of anyone,” she said. “[The University] was worried that they would be called bigoted or transphobic, and that was not a move they were willing to take.”
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As is so often the case, she believed that administration officials at Penn were too concerned with backlash from activists or Thomas’ supporters to defend and protect the women on the team.
Paula Scanlan, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, testifies during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government hearing titled the “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Children,” in Rayburn Building on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Individuals in the administration might have agreed that this was wrong, but they were too afraid of losing their jobs or the university being painted in a bad light.”
Scanlan also revealed during her testimony that she’d been a victim of sexual assault, something which made her even more concerned about being forced to share a locker room with a biological male. When asked if she’d brought up the assault to the university and what their response had been, she said she had “raised it to the coaches and other people in the athletic department.”
After the assault, she explained she was “really struggling with mental health,” even taking time away from swimming because of it.
Even after telling UPenn’s administration and the coaching staff about it, she felt that “overall, it was not really a consideration” to them. While there was a gap between the assault and Thomas joining the women’s team, her specific history as a survivor of sexual assault took a back seat to appeasing Thomas’ wishes.
The university was far more worried about being labeled “bigoted” or “transphobic” than they were in seriously considering the concerns of a female survivor of sexual assault being forced to change in front of a biological male.
Penn Made Their Decision Without Input
Scanlan did say that her coaches were open to hearing from her and her teammates on their concerns. But their hands were essentially tied by the UPenn administration.
“This is the situation,” Scanlan said coaches essentially told her. “Lia is going to be on this team no matter what you say to me.”
Paula Scanlan, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, testifies during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government hearing on gender affirming care for children. (Jasper Colt-USA TODAY)
There have already been immense personal consequences for her speaking out as well. She revealed she’s been sent numerous hate messages, accusing her of wanting to kill trans people or ban trans people from playing sports. Family members no longer speak to her, and others have said they agree with her on this issue, but because those on the “wrong” political side share her views, they lump her in with other beliefs she doesn’t necessarily share.
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Her goal with speaking out is to protect women’s sports and young girls, particularly by working with the Independent Women’s Forum to pass legislation in all 50 states. She and the organization are committed to pursuing this until women are protected in locker rooms and bathrooms, especially with the ability to pursue legal recourse against officials who refuse to hear their concerns.
Scanlan said that, frustratingly, there doesn’t seem to have been any remorse from UPenn or a desire to change going forward.
“Penn hasn’t tried to respond to me in any capacity whatsoever,” Scanlan said. Fundamentally, they “stand by what they did,” she concluded.
To Scanlan, to ensure competitive fairness, transgender athletes should compete in the men’s category, where biological advantages wouldn’t be a problem. But given UPenn’s dismissal of her stated concerns, their lack of remorse and fear of backlash that seems to be disappointingly unlikely.
