Gaines, who advocates for fairness in women's sports, lost to Thomas in 2022 and has been vocal about her opposition to UPenn's decision to allow Thomas to compete on the women's team. Thomas made history by becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.
While Gaines admitted to not specifically criticizing Thomas, she did refer to him as an entitled narcissist and expressed her concerns about the Antifa shirt he wore. Gaines found the situation disturbing.
July 20, 2023
During the 2021-2022 season, Thomas made waves by setting pool, school, and Ivy League records. After competing for three years on the men's team and being ranked 462 as a male swimmer, Thomas joined the women's team last season and quickly rose to the number one spot.
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At the NCAA swimming and diving championships in 2022, Thomas secured victory in the 500 freestyle event and placed fifth in the 200 freestyle and eighth in the 100 freestyle.
In an interview with ESPN, Thomas dismissed criticism about competing on the women's team, asserting that "trans women are women." Thomas argued that allowing transgender women to participate in women's sports is no different from cisgender women taking spots on travel teams or receiving scholarships. Thomas emphasized that it does not take away opportunities from cisgender women, as trans women are also women deserving of those opportunities.
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In a separate incident, Gaines was held against her will for three hours by transgender-rights activists at San Francisco State University. The activists demanded a ransom for her release during an event she was attending on campus in April.
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