evidence: Lia Thomas’ legal battle to compete in the Olympics: the first trans athlete to win an NCAA title, the former UPenn swimmer faced backlash – but still advocates for the LGBT community - Thomas, formerly part of the University of Pennsylvania’s swim team, is trying to take World Aquatics to court over its rules change preventing her from competing in swimming as a transgender woman - She has courted the criticism of long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, her former teammate Paula Scanlan, and parents of her Ivy League teammates issued a complaint letter picked up by the media [...] Lia Thomas’ fight to compete [...] Per the New Yorker, Thomas began swimming when she was five years old. Her talent was evident as she grew up, becoming one of the top swimmers in Texas. Her brother made it onto the men’s team at the University of Pennsylvania and she followed in his footsteps.