Breathe
By Sofía Guadarrama
For several years now there has been a lot of controversy about the participation of transgender women and men in athletic competitions organized in different sports disciplines. Mainly when it comes to international events such as the Pan American Games, the Far East Games, the Olympics and Winter Olympics, to name a few.
Until recently, the most well-known controversy was the case of Lia Thomas, the first transgender swimmer to win a championship in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, in the history of Division I (the highest category of competition within the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]), by completing 457 meters in women's freestyle swimming in 4 minutes and 33.24 seconds.
Schuyler Bailar, a transgender male (i.e., born female and transitioned to male), was the first transgender swimmer within the NCAA Division I ranks.
Of course, the big goal for Lia Thomas was not only to win the tournament, but for her victory to be considered legitimate, as many refused to accept Thomas' achievement and demanded that Emma Weyant (second place) be declared the legitimate winner.
