Social media erupted in criticism after Penn Swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as female, crushed the competition on Thursday evening, taking first in the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship 500 yard freestyle.
Thomas competed against males before switching over to women’s sports after identifying as a woman. The athlete has dominated in the women’s space.
“All the best women are men,” Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro mocked, adding, “Juwanna Mann is a documentary.”
“Juwanna Mann” is a comedy that depicts a struggling male basketball player pretending to be a woman so he can dominate in women’s professional basketball.
All the best women are men pic.twitter.com/BBRWvJOHKS
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 18, 2022
Juwanna Mann is a documentary https://t.co/l9Jigd8aTi
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 18, 2022
“If you support this, you’re actively participating in the willful destruction of women’s sport & women’s rights to fairness & equality,” Piers Morgan commented. “It’s shameful.”
If you support this, you’re actively participating in the wilful destruction of women’s sport & women’s rights to fairness & equality. It’s shameful. https://t.co/nZHpOBr50Z
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 18, 2022
“The new wave of feminism is admitting we’re second best to men,” Breanna Morello said.
The new wave of feminism is admitting we’re second best to men. https://t.co/k5OphKeog0
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) March 18, 2022
“Absolutely ridiculous and utterly unfair to female competitors,” Henry Bolton said. “The world is going mad.”
Absolutely ridiculous and utterly unfair to female competitors. The world is going mad. https://t.co/nN6vRK99Qp
— Henry Bolton OBE 🇬🇧 (@_HenryBolton) March 18, 2022
“This is a man,” Dominique Samuels posted. “A man who is stealing opportunities from women in sport. Remove this misogynist fraud once and for all.”
This is a man.
A man who is stealing opportunities from women in sport.
Remove this misogynist fraud once and for all.
— Dominique Samuels (@DominiqueTaegon) March 18, 2022
“Lia Thomas spent 21 years of his life as a man. Said he is now a woman and in less than a year became a national champion in women’s swimming. And as a society, we’re supposed to accept this as totally okay?” Greg Price questioned.
Lia Thomas spent 21 years of his life as a man. Said he is now a woman and in less than a year became a national champion in women’s swimming. And as a society, we’re supposed to accept this as totally okay?
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 18, 2022
“Why is [SportsCenter] even entertaining an interview with ‘Lia’? Go speak with Emma, the real first place winner,” lawyer Jenna Ellis criticized.
Why is @SportsCenter even entertaining an interview with “Lia”? Go speak with Emma, the real first place winner.
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) March 18, 2022
Satirical site The Babylon Bee mocked the fiasco with the headline, “After Watching Lia Thomas, Little Girl Adjusts Dreams To Just Winning Second Place At Olympics.”
After Watching Lia Thomas, Little Girl Adjusts Dreams To Just Winning Second Place At Olympics https://t.co/h4mRuvs5Y2
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) March 15, 2022
“Remember when this was a South Park episode?” conservative Matt Palumbo said.
Remember when this was a South Park episode?
— Matt Palumbo 🇺🇸 (@MattPalumbo12) March 17, 2022
“South Park has become America’s oracle,” Ian Prior echoed.
South Park has become America's oracle. https://t.co/G9AmnJm9DQ
— Ian Prior (@iandprior) March 18, 2022
A years-old episode of South Park shows a masculine man who identifies as female absolutely dominating women in “The Strong Woman Competition.” The male character takes first place and stands on the podium next to two beaten down and shocked women.
Following the win, Thomas spoke to a reporter from ESPN, discussing the “spotlight” the swimmer is under, The Daily Wire reported:
“Lia, how did that performance measure up to your expectations coming into this meet tonight?” the reported asked Thomas.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of expectations for this meet, I was just happy to be here, trying to race and compete as best as I could,” Thomas answered.
“You’ve undoubtedly been under the spotlight over the past few months, how have you been dealing with that, and reasoning with everything?” the reporter followed up.
“I try to ignore it as much as a I can,” Thomas said, “I try to focus on my swimming, what I need to do to get ready for my races, and just try to block out everything else.”
“What did that race mean to you?” the reporter asked.
“It means the world to be here, be with my two best friends and teammates, and be able to compete,” Thomas ended the interview.
Related: WATCH: Lia Thomas Does Interview With ESPN After Crushing Biological Women In NCAA Championships
Related: Biologically Male Swimmer Annihilates Female Competitors In 500 Free