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A Florida Republican official criticized transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' recent win at the NCAA swimming championships in a message sent Friday to party members.
Christian Ziegler, vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida and Sarasota County commissioner, wrote that swimmer Emma Weyant, who is from his home county, was "robbed on national TV" after coming in second to Thomas, Florida Politics reported.
Many GOP members have expressed opposition to Thomas' competing, although Weyant acknowledged Thomas' win by shaking her hand in the water. While conservatives argue that transgender women's physical differences give them an unfair advantage in sports competitions, LGBTQ supporters say measures keeping them from participating in sports hurt all women.
Thomas, who competes for the University of Pennsylvania, made history Thursday by becoming the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I. She has been doing well in meets and breaking records since the season began, sparking both support and protest.
In his letter, Ziegler referred to Thomas as a male and said he did not want those who are born female to get sidelined. He also noted that Thomas "was no better ranked than 400th in male swimming" but "ended up swimming faster than every other girl last night."
"As the father of 3 young girls—2 of which are playing sports—this is the hill I am willing to die on," he wrote. "Which is why I won't sit back and be silent as women watch their opportunity to compete and win in sports be eliminated."
According to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union, when transgender female athletes cannot compete in women's sports it hurts all women because a standard is set for what is considered "too masculine" or "too good" to be a "real woman."
The report notes that in Idaho, the ACLU represents two women, one transgender and one cisgender, who were both hurt by a state law aimed at transgender athletes.
In an interview with WebMD, sports physicist Joanna Harper said that while on average transgender women have some advantages such as height, there are also disadvantages. For instance, their larger frames are combined with reduced testosterone levels, which can affect "quickness, recovery, endurance and things that might not be quite as obvious as seeing somebody bigger."
Harper said regulation should be on a sport-by-sport basis and should look at whether "meaningful competition" can still be achieved, with consideration given to whether competitors are evenly matched.
"The important question isn't 'do trans women have advantages?' What really matters is can trans women and cis women compete against one another in meaningful competition," she said. "There's no indication that trans women are anywhere close to taking over women's sport. It's not happening now. It's not likely to happen any time in the future."
Update 03/18/22, 2:15 p.m. ET: This story was updated to add more information and background.
