Florida governor says trans swimmer Lia Thomas was not ‘rightful winner’ of NCAA title

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has issued a proclamation that a resident of his state is the “rightful” holder of the NCAA 500m freestyle title won by trans swimmer Lia Thomas last week.

Thomas made history last Thursday as the first known transgender athlete to win a US college swimming championship when she took the title in Atlanta. However, her victory caused a backlash among right-wing politicians as well as groups that oppose transgender athletes taking part in women’s competition.

On Tuesday DeSantis, who many see as a Republican contender at the next US presidential election, declared that Emma Weyant, a Florida resident who competes for the University of Virginia and finished second to Thomas, was the “rightful winner” of the race.

“It is my determination that men should not be competing against women such as Emma Weyant,” DeSantis wrote in his proclamation. “ … Florida rejects the NCAA’s efforts to destroy women’s athletics, disapproves of the NCAA elevating ideology over biology, and takes offense at the NCAA trying to make others complicit in a lie.”

USA Swimming’s policy states that trans athletes must undergo three years of hormone replacement therapy before being allowed to compete. Thomas is six months short of that target but the NCAA decided not to adopt USA Swimming’s rules and allowed the senior to compete in Atlanta.

DeSantis’s proclamation has no power to change last week’s result and is a continuation of policies in Florida that are seen as targeting the LGBTQ+ community. In June, he signed into law the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which bans anyone assigned as male at birth from competing in girls and women’s sports.

Thomas has received both support and criticism. On Monday, World Athletics