Paula Scanlan competed during the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons for the UPenn women's swim team. | Paula Scanlan/Twitter
Paula Scanlan competed during the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons for the UPenn women's swim team. | Paula Scanlan/Twitter
A former teammate of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has joined the Independent Council on Women’s Sports as an advocate for women competing in their own sports and leagues.
Paula Scanlan, a former teammate of Lia Thomas, has joined the efforts of ICONS, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, to advocate for women competing in their own sports and leagues, she tweeted June 6. Fellow swimmer Riley Gaines has spent over a year speaking out against the negative impact of allowing biologically male swimmer Lia Thomas to compete alongside the women of the University of Pennsylvania swim team, and Scanlan recently decided it was time to add her voice to the discussion.
Scanlan recently sat down with Matt Walsh -- a right-wing political commentator, activist and author -- to share her story.
“The University wanted us to be quiet, and they did it in a very effective way,” Scanlan told Walsh. “It’s not just about me and it’s not just about Riley. It’s about fighting for women and girls across the country. and that’s who I’m here for.”
Her almost 30-minute interview with Walsh detailed her time spent competing alongside Thomas and how the university silenced the team's protests against the situation.
"There was something going on in that athletic department that wanted to keep us quiet," Scanlan said.
“I constantly kept waiting for these institutions to do the right thing, and honestly looking back, I don’t know why I ever even trusted that they might. But I did have hope… that somebody would see what was correct, but it just never happened,” Scanlan said during the interview. “These institutions failed us, and somebody needs to do something about it.”
Scanlan is speaking with ICONS at their July 21 to 23 event in Denver, Colorado. She will be a part of the panel discussing the "Psychological War on Women" that she believes the transgender athletes are causing. The Summit “is a one-of-a-kind opportunity also to talk with world-renowned experts in science, academia and law.” ICONS was created and works to be “a voice to defend the respect and fair treatment of our next generation of female athletes.”
Alerts Sign-up