Northeast

Lia Thomas speaks for first time since UPenn agreed to Trump admin resolution to protect women’s sports

Published

8 months ago

October 22, 2025

Lia Thomas speaks for first time since UPenn agreed to Trump admin resolution to protect women’s sports

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Prominent transgender swimmer Lia Thomas spoke in an interview for the first time since the University of Pennsylvania agreed with President Donald Trump’s administration in June to strip the athlete’s swimming records from the women’s program archives, and adopt a policy to keep biological males out of women’s sports.

In an interview with WHYY, Thomas did not directly address the agreement with the Trump administration, but did send a message to those who don’t believe biological male trans athletes should compete in the women’s category.

“You don’t get to pick and choose when you see me as a woman. You don’t get to say, ‘You can be a woman in these situations, but not in these,’ because you would never do that to a cis woman,” Thomas said. “But for trans women, a lot of people think ‘Oh, it’s okay for me to be the arbiter and pick and choose when I see them as women.’”

University of Pennsylvania transgender athlete Lia Thomas swims in a preliminary heat for the 500-meter freestyle at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday, March 17, 2022, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Thomas gave the response when asked how the athlete would address people who aren’t against rights for transgender people, but are in support of protecting women’s sports from male inclusion. Thomas went on to suggest that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) prevents trans athletes from having a competitive advantage.

“There are massive losses to muscle mass, strength and endurance, and to make blanket statements like, ‘Oh, I see you as a woman, but you just shouldn’t compete in women’s sports’ is both transphobic and not reflective of the realities of being trans and being on HRT,” Thomas said.

A study by the Macdonald–Laurier Institute, a Canadian think tank, argued that “there is neither a medical intervention nor a clever philosophical argument that can make it fair for trans women to compete in women’s sport.”

UPENN AGREES TO FOLLOW TRUMP’S MANDATE ON PROTECTING WOMEN’S SPORTS AFTER LIA THOMAS INVESTIGATION

“For trans women who have successfully suppressed testosterone for 12 months, the extent of muscle/strength loss is only an approximately (and modest) -5% after 12 months,” the authors said. “Testosterone suppression does not remove the athletic advantage acquired under high testosterone conditions at puberty, while the male musculoskeletal advantage is retained.”

Thomas also opened up on being in a relationship with a woman prior to making the decision to undergo gender-affirming surgery. Thomas recalled the moment in the summer of 2018 when the former collegiate swimmer openly admitted, “I’m trans” for the first time.

“I and my girlfriend at the time, were staying on campus to do a summer class. She was and has continued to be a very staunch queer ally. And she invited me to go with her to a pride parade as like allies to be supporting. And as a closeted trans women, I was like ‘Yes, absolutely I would love to go hang out with cool, queer people,’” Thomas said. “That evening when we got home, I came out to her. And I think that might have been the first time I said ‘I’m trans,’ out loud. And that was a very huge milestone, and she was incredibly supportive.”

Thomas competed for UPenn women’s swimming team in the 2021-22 season, after previously competing for the men’s team. Thomas went on to win NCAA Division I national championship in the 500-yard freestyle, earned three All-America honors at the NCAA Championships, and was named the High Point Swimmer of the Meet at the Ivy League Championships.

Multiple women who competed alongside Thomas that season, both UPenn teammates and competitors from other schools, have spoken out about their experience sharing the pool and locker room with Thomas.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer and OutKick host Riley Gaines infamously tied with Thomas at the NCAA championships that year, and went on to file a lawsuit and become a well-known women’s sports rights advocate in the years that followed. Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA includes a plaintiff list of several other Thomas opponents that year, including former NC State swimmer Kylee Alons and former Kentucky swimmer Kaitlyn Wheeler.

The lawsuit partially advanced past motions to dismiss on Sept. 27.

Another lawsuit filed by three of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates has also been filed against the university and the Ivy League. The plaintiffs are former UPenn swimmers Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist.

Fellow former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan was the first of Thomas’ teammates to speak out about the situation, and the only to do so during and shortly after the 2022 season. The others have waited years to come forward with their experiences.

Former UPenn swimmer Monika Burzynska said she was assigned the locker just one over from Lia Thomas’ when the transgender athlete joined the women’s swim team in 2021.

“I thought it must be terrible to feel like you’re trapped in the wrong body. Just be so out of touch with who you really are,” Burzynska previously told Fox News Digital. “You have these issues that are from afar and you never really quite think they’re going to touch you personally until you’re on a team with Lia Thomas and your locker is directly next to this biological male. And you would have never believed that you’d be facing this issue directly.

“And then when that happens, your views change where you still feel sorry for this person because they’re clearly so deeply lost. But then it turns into more, ‘OK, this is not fair,’” Burzynska added.

Meanwhile, Thomas was the recipient of the Voice of Inspiration Award at Rainbow Labs’ Violet Visionary Awards on Thursday. The event is sponsored by both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Football Club, among others.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

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Boston, MA

New England restaurants adding gratuity to bills during World Cup

Published

2 hours ago

June 12, 2026

Press Room

New England restaurants adding gratuity to bills during World Cup

For the next few weeks, you might notice an additional service charge at some restaurants in Massachusetts in anticipation of international visitors who may not be accustomed to U.S. expectations around tipping.

At Union Straw in Foxboro, Massachusetts, customers will see a 20% service charge during the World Cup.

“Time is going to be very, very far, few and beyond for people when they’re trying to get to the stadium, with traffic and all that stuff. So we are going to implement a 20% service charge on all checks and hope to streamline those operations and save people 10 to 15 minutes,” said Craig Carreira, director of operations for Union Straw.

Right outside of Gillette stadium, at Patriot Place, Bar Louie and Davio’s are also planning to add a service charge during the World Cup.

The World Cup is underway, and the Haitian team made its way to Boston Thursday.

“That’s primarily how we do get paid, is through our tips,” said Christine Peterson, a bartender at Davio’s.

In Massachusetts, tipped workers earn $6.75 an hour. If they don’t earn enough in tips to reach $15 an hour, employers must make up the difference.

A 2024 ballot measure that aimed to raise the minimum wage gradually for tipped workers failed, in part, because many servers argued it would lower their overall compensation. So while tipping is largely expected in the U.S., it continues to be a topic of great debate.

“I don’t really like it. I like to tip somebody for their service, but there’s no incentive for the server to do well,” said Joan, a Rhode Island resident.

New signs and new grass are up at Gillette Stadium as the home of the Patriots hosts World Cup matches.

“All these restaurants are getting all this money with all these people coming here, and plus, they’re going to add another 20%,” said Susan, who was at Patriot Place Thursday. “That’s not right, not in my book.”

“I think it’s a good thing. They’re serving us, they should be able to get paid for their service. So I don’t mind,” said Mishi, a woman visiting from Haiti.

Under Massachusetts’ Consumer Protection Act, any mandatory charges or fees must be made known to the customer wherever prices are displayed on menus and bills.

Gillette Stadium, temporarily branded as Boston Stadium, is hosting seven 2026 FIFA World Cup matches from June 13 through July 9.

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Pittsburg, PA

The South Side Street Fest is coming to Pittsburgh this summer. Here’s what to know.

Published

2 hours ago

June 12, 2026

Press Room

The South Side Street Fest is coming to Pittsburgh this summer. Here’s what to know.

East Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side will be closed off to cars, people under 21 years old and anyone who has previously committed a crime in the space as part of a new plan aimed at replacing what can be a chaotic late weekend evening in the bar-filled corridor with what’s being dubbed the South Side Street Fest.

The street fest will fill East Carson Street on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. between 12th and 18th streets. During that time, people entering must pass through metal detectors and IDs will be scanned to verify that individuals are at least 21 and that they aren’t on a list of people not allowed to enter.

“Pittsburghers love the South Side,” said Peter Margittai, president of the Southside Chamber of Commerce. “And they want to come back. They’re just scared, and this is giving them a great reason to come back. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be safe.”

The plan was revealed at a community meeting on Thursday involving Pittsburgh Public Safety, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the South Side Community Action Network, and the Chamber of Commerce.

The Southside Hospitality Partnership is the official sponsor of the festival, which is scheduled to begin on June 20 and will run on Fridays and Saturday nights until Sept. 12.

Compared to the restrictions placed on Market Square, which banned children from entering that space, this plan is being done in closer conjunction with city police, a public safety spokesperson said.

“We want to change the behavior down here,” Zone 3 Police Commander Jeff Abraham said. “In 2026, we’ve seized 62 firearms, illegal firearms down here, and we’re just trying to get those type of bad actors to stop coming to East Carson Street.”

Road closures will start at 9 p.m. At that time, people inside the footprint will either be given wristbands or be asked to re-enter at the security entry points. Residents will be able to park their cars on side streets, but if they are on East Carson Street, they’ll have to go.

“It’s a really exciting plan for the South Side,” said John DeMauro, a member of the South Side Hospitality Partnership and owner of South Side businesses. “This plan really provides structure and expectation for people coming to East Carson Street, but it’s also going to provide things to do.”

They’ve already had discussions, he said, about activating storefronts outside during the festival.

“So, for instance, at my storefront, I’ll be selling food outside,” DeMauro said. “We want to implement some music on the street, we want to implement some art on the street.”

As for open-container rules, people won’t be allowed to bring their beers outside of bars onto the street. They will be allowed to purchase beers from designated tents in the street. Those beers will be priced at a “premium,” one of the speakers during the informational meeting on Thursday said.

“You’re going to be safe when you come to East Carson Street, you’re going to be able to enjoy yourself, you’re going to be able to have fun, like many people have for the past 30 years,” DeMauro said.

Rosemarie Berman of the Southside Community Action Network was tasked with taking the questions of those in attendance and posing them to officials.

“People are concerned about what if I live on Carson Street. How do I get to my place? How are we going to handle people on the side streets? And I think they addressed all those concerns pretty much this evening,” Berman said.

Asked if people thought the plan would work, she said that people are optimistic. She added that people expect bumps in the road early, but in the end, it will evolve into something “wonderful.”

“I don’t think it’s perfect, but I don’t think anyone really does. But it’s a really good plan,” said Margittai.