Florida Rep. Steube Praises Court Ruling Blocking Lia Thomas From Women’s Olympic Swim Team
TAMPA FREE PRESS — Florida Rep. Greg Steube on Tuesday praised a decision that essentially banned transgender swimmer Lia Thomas from the U.S. Olympic women’s swim team.
Thomas, a biological man who identified and competed as a woman while at the University of Pennsylvania, had challenged new rules spelled out by World Aquatics, the governing body of international swimming.
The group adopted the rules after Thomas ignited criticism after winning the NCAA title in 2022. The regulations specified that males who “transitioned” after puberty could not compete as transgender females, Breitbart noted. That requirement primarily banned Thomas and most transgender athletes from international competitions as well as the Olympics.
World Aquatics argued that scientific data show men who transition after reaching puberty still retain natural advantages over women, including greater muscle structure, lung capacity, and stamina, Breitbart reported.
A lower court tossed Thomas’s legal challenge, saying he lacked standing to bring the case. A European court of arbitration over sports agreed.
