Journalist says Lia Thomas’s pursuit to be ‘authentic’ self ‘shouldn’t come at a cost’ to women’s sports

A deputy managing editor at Reason Magazine said Monday that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has a right to “embrace her true self and be authentic” but that “shouldn’t come at a cost” to the competitive spirit of women’s sports.

Natalie Dowzicky told Hill.TV the controversy has created an “interesting tension” in collegiate sports.

“We’ve seen a lot of people come out and say they don’t feel like the competitive integrity is being kept in women’s sports if transgender women like Lia Thomas are allowed to compete,” she said.

Earlier this month, Thomas, swimming for the University of Pennsylvania, notched a victory at the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championship. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew headlines when he recognized the runner-up, a Florida native, as the rightful winner.

Thomas competed on Penn State’s men’s team for three years before undergoing gender-affirming hormones for more than 2.5 years. To compete on the women’s team, Thomas, like other transgender athletes, has to keep testosterone levels to a certain limit.

But Dowzicky said there needs to be one set of governing rules for transgender athletes after the NCAA decided not to adopt stricter rules from USA Swimming, which were released just a few weeks before the championships began.

“There needs to be governing bodies that have rules that they stick to,” she said. “That’s the first step in trying to get to a fair spot for everyone to compete.”