College athlete says Ivy League Lia Thomas decision told female athletes their rights don’t matter

Alliance for Defending Freedom Spokesperson Christiana Holcomb and track and field competitor Chelsea Mitchell rip the Ivy League Conference for approving Lia Thomas’ eligibility for upcoming competitions.

A track and field competitor said Wednesday the NCAA told female athletes that their rights do not matter after the Ivy League granted transgender athlete Lia Thomas eligibility to continue competing.

"I mean, it basically tells them that their rights and opportunities don’t matter," track and field athlete Chelsea Mitchell told "America Reports." "In high school, I had to race against biological males [in] like every big state championship I went to, and I knew I was going to lose each of those championships, and so these girls [are] basically just going to have to be racing for second [place]."

Mitchell wants the NCAA to even the playing field in women’s sports after the Ivy League conference granted Thomas eligibility to continue competing. She said that South Dakota’s measure in banning transgender athletes from competing in female sports is "definitely a step in the right direction." 

"It’s encouraging to see the lawmakers across the country step up to the plate and say we see how the NCAA has failed women and girls, and we are not going to allow that in our state," Mitchell said.

TRANSGENDER LIA THOMAS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE AT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, IVY LEAGUE CONFIRMS

Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, right competes in the 200 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. The University of Pennsylvania says it will work with the NCAA under its newly adopted standards for transgender athletes. Swimmer Lia