Swimmer Lia Thomas latest target in 'culture war' on trans athletes, critics say

When transgender athletes win, they make headlines — but when they lose, it goes largely unnoticed. 

That imbalance can perpetuate the idea that trans women athletes have an unfair advantage, according to Michele K. Donnelly, a sports management professor at Brock University.

She recalls speculation and scrunity that Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand and the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Tokyo Games, would "clean the floor" of women weightlifters. But when Hubbard failed to medal, little more was heard of her, she said.

"It skews the story…. The fact that our attention is drawn in these very small number of cases where trans women are being very successful in women's sport," Donnelly said.

Last month, swimmer Lia Thomas, who won the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 500-yard freestyle, became the latest transgender athlete to face backlash for her athletic performance. The University of Pennsylvania senior is the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship. 

Calling Thomas's participation "a fraud," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a proclamation declaring Emma Weyant, who placed second, as the winner. 

WATCH | New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard first transgender athlete to compete at Olympics

Chicago-based writer Parker Molloy calls the backlash to Thomas's win part of the "culture war" that emerged around the civil rights and same-sex marriage movements.

"It's all part of the same long thread of challenging decisions and trying to separate marginalized communities," said Molloy in an interview with Day 6 host Peter Armstrong.

The criticism comes as a slew of bills targeting LGBTQ people, and transgender people in particular, make their way through