Lia Thomas’ UPenn teammate speaks out, says university ‘wanted us to be quiet’

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A college teammate of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas is speaking out after anonymously participating in The Daily Wire’s 2022 documentary "What is a Woman."

Paula Scanlan, who swam on the UPenn women’s swimming team from 2018 to 2022, spoke with Daily Wire host Matt Walsh in a video posted to social media Monday night, saying she is ready to join former college swimmer Riley Gaines in "fighting for women and girls across the country." 

University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18th, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta Georgia.  (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Scanlan told Walsh that the UPenn university athletic department informed the team in a meeting that Thomas’ spot on the women’s team was "non-negotiable" and that they would regret it if they spoke to the media. 

After the meeting, Scanlan said she questioned whether her stance against Thomas’ ability to compete on the women’s team was wrong. 

RILEY GAINES SPEAKS OUT AFTER TWO TRANS RUNNERS FAIL TO APPEAR AT CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL RACE AMID CONTROVERSY

"After that meeting, they really scared us. It was scary, and I was petrified," Scanlan said. "I went home that night and I called my brother and said, ‘Can I even talk about this with you? Is there something wrong with me for thinking that this is wrong?’" 

"It worked. The university wanted us to be quiet, and they did it in a very effective way. They continued to tell us that our opinions were wrong and that if we had an issue with it, we were the problem.