In the world of competition sports, the inclusion of transgender athletes has generated animated debates, in particular after cases of great repercussions such as Lia Thomas, a historic transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania. A new controversy occurred around Thomas: a former team partner apologized after the swimmer lost a process to obtain the right to compete in female events at the Olympic Games.

Lia Thomas, who made the transition to university, became the first openly transgender woman to win a championship in the NCAA division in 2022. Their victories caused a storm of discussion on justice in female sports, with a lot of defense of their right to compete, while others have argued that their participation has given him a keen difference in physiological differences between the transgender differences and transgender.

The last twist of this continuous saga comes from a former teammate of Thomas, who expressed discomfort for having been forced to share the locker room with him when they were teammates. In a public statement, the former partner of the team revealed that he had been “forced to change clothes with him 18 times a week”, a comment that generated indignation and rekindled the debate on the implications of the inclusion of transgender people on women’s sport.

The former swimmer’s teammate published an audience of apology, saying that the situation made him uncomfortable and raped his private life. The apology occurred shortly after Thomas lost a great repercussions that sought his right to contribute during female events at the Olympic Games. Although the decision was a setback for Thomas, it also intensified the debate on the inclusion of transgender athletes in female competitions, especially at the highest levels of international sports.

The controversy surrounding the declarations made by Lia Thomas and its former team partner fueled the current debate on the future of transgender athletes in professional and university sports. Transgender rights defenders claim that inclusion is essential to ensure fair treatment for transgender people, because criticism, such as the former partner of the Thomas team, say that justice is committed when Cisgenres women are forced to divide spaces and compete with male athletes.

While legal battles continue, the emotional and psychological impact of these situations cannot be ignored. Many athletes involved have expressed the feeling of being involved in broader social debates, and these last apologies reflect the continuous complexity of gender, identity and equity problems in sport.

As the case takes place, it remains to be seen if the debate will cause a change in policy or remain a controversial problem that divides athletes, regulatory bodies and fans. One thing is certain: the debate on the inclusion of transgender people in women’s sport is far from over and will continue to evolve while society calls into question the balance between justice, inclusion and equality.