DeSantis declares Florida native winner over trans swimmer Lia Thomas

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to acknowledge the victory of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the NCAA 500-yard freestyle, declaring the runner-up the “rightful winner” on Tuesday, according to the New York Post.

University of Virginia freshman Emma Weyant, who is from Sarasota, FL, was defeated by Thomas in last weekend’s NCAA championships by 1.75 seconds.

DeSantis posted a document with the state seal to Twitter congratulating Weyant on her achievement and criticizing the NCAA’s “efforts to destroy women’s athletics.”

“By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud,” DeSantis wrote.

“In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle.”

By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud.

In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle. pic.twitter.com/tBmFxFE3q6

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 22, 2022

Thomas’s record-setting performances have drawn attention to the topic of trans athletes in women’s sports, especially ones with increased physical development from having grown up male. Much criticism has been made anonymously over fears of backlash or ostracism.

USA Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming that also oversees the Olympic qualifying trials, updated its policy to require transgender athletes to provide evidence their “physical development” as males do “not give the athlete a competitive advantage” over their “cisgender female competitors.” It also mandates testing that demonstrates testosterone less than 5nmol/L, in line with other international sporting organizations.

The NCAA policy allows transgender participation to be decided by a sport-by-sport basis. It has begun requiring trans athletes to begin documenting their testosterone levels but not yet setting a limit.

Critics have called out the Florida governor for using Weyant for political purposes.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board wrote that DeSantis “ignored Emma Weyant’s simple right to not be exploited.”

Weyant has made not made a public comment about DeSantis’s declaration.