Riley Gaines spoke out to protect women’s sports, which inspired Kylee Alons, a swimmer from NC State and the most decorated in Wolfpack history, to testify about a similar issue. She was present at the 2022 National Championships and had to share the same locker room as Lia Thomas, who had been participating with the female division in the NCAA.
According to Gaines, the NCAA did nothing to accommodate her and other female swimmer who felt uneasy undressing in the same room as the “6-foot-4, 22-year-old male equipped with and showing male genitalia”. She expressed during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that she doesn’t want to ban transgender athletes, however stated that it would be fair “if everyone competed where it’s fair and it’s safe”.
Subsequently, Kylee Alons was forced to take extreme measures to avoid a horrendous situation. She had to hide in a storage closet to change her clothes, so as to maintain an adequate level of privacy and a sense of comfort.
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) advocated for the fight to preserve women’s sports and subsequent met Kylee to hear firsthand her experience with this sort of sex-based harassment. Countless other swimmers possibly faced the same situation in a women’s locker room, which ultimately transformed the landscape of female sports in an unfortunate manner.
The NCAA should take action and enforce regulations to protect women in female sports from being exposed to such an uncomfortable situation. Every athlete should feel comfortable competing in the respective sport, regardless of their gender identity.
Not only does this situation breach human rights and the privacy of female athletes, but it could affect the performance of athletes like Alons who was put at a disadvantage due to the presence of the transgender athlete in women’s division.
Today I met with Kylee, the most decorated swimmer in NC State history. She told me how she changed in a storage closet at the NCAA finals rather than experience the sexual harassment that comes with undressing in front of Will “Lia” Thomas – a biological male who insisted on… pic.twitter.com/l8S99JzVQ0
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) June 21, 2023
Organisations such as the NCAA have the responsibility to protect the athletes instead of favouring a particular gender assignment or identity. Through implementing practical regulations and providing appropriate facilities, such social issues can be effectively stopped before it progresses and result in an uncomfortable environment and a decrease in performance.