Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer is the winner of the 500-yard NCAA title. She defeated Virginia freshman Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds with a time of 4:33.24. Lia has swam for three years at Penn as a male before transitioning. She has come under several controversies and she finds support from her friends and family during this time.
After her win, Lia told ESPN, “I try to ignore it as much as I can I try to focus on my swimming — what I need to do to get ready for my races. I just try to block out everything else.”
Learn more about Lia below. Here we cover information on her birth name, partner, parents, and before pics.
Lia Thomas Birth Name
The birth name of Lia Catherine Thomas is William “Will” Thomas. During a conversation with her parents, Lia rolled through a list of potential names for her. However, none of the names captured the spirit, as Sports Illustrated writes. First, she came up with her first name “Lia” from Wil “Lia” m and she loved it.
She chose the middle name “Catherine” because it was her mother’s birth name. She told SI, “That meant so much to me.”
Furthermore, Lia started using her name on New Year’s 2020. She told SI, “It’s a milestone in a very long process of transitioning where you feel like this is who I am, and I’m going to live this. In a way, it was sort of a rebirth, for the first time in my life, feeling fully connected to my name and who I am and living who I am. I am Lia”.
Lia’s narrative has also turned into a right-wing fixation, with regular appearances on Fox News. Conservative news outlets have referred to her as a man and deadnamed her, purposely using the name she used before transitioning.
Lia Thomas Before Pics
Like most high profiled celebrity transgender Lia Thomas also attracted attention from people who wanted to see what she was like before. Here are a few pics below.
Lia started transitioning after coming out to her family and friends. She began her HRT in May 2019. She told, “I did HRT knowing and accepting I might not swim again. I was just trying to live my life.”
Who Are Lia Thoma’s Parents?
Lia Thomas was born to her parents Bob and Carrie Thomas. Not much is known about her parents. But, they have been supportive of her daughter throughout her journey as an athlete and her sexuality. Lia is often bullied on social media and she tells her parents not to engage in a fight.
In the first year of college, both of her parents felt something was off that their child was hurting. Bob told SI whatever was discussed on that call was personal that he and his wife Carrie told their daughter they loved and supported her. He shared with the outlet, “We will do everything and anything we need to do to have Lia be part of this family. We were not going to lose her.”
On 1 February 2021, USA Swimming released new guidelines. The new guidelines set a ceiling testosterone level of five nanomoles per liter—half the threshold used by previous Olympic rules—that transgender athletes would need to register, continuously, for 36 months before applying to swim as a woman.
NCAA’s subcommittee recommended delaying a decision on whether to implement those guidelines or not. Lia’s parents and friends knew that the negativity would arise as the NCAA championships approaches.
Her father Bob said, “You can engage in [negativity] and let it dominate your thinking, or you can be a positive force. You can’t take on that water, or else you’ll sink.”
Does Lia Thomas Have A Partner?
Lia Thomas is extremely private about her personal life. She was reportedly on Instagram but has turned off the comments because of all the criticizing hate comments she received.
So, Lia has kept her personal life away from the public eye. Also, she has yet to discuss her dating life as a man before she transitioned. So, as of this article in 2022, we believe that Lia is single.
Related FAQs
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Does Lia Thomas Have Siblings?
Lia Thomas has an older brother named Wes Thomas. Wes attended Westlake High School and attended the University of Pennsylvania where he was in the Man’s Swimming Team. His top times are (500 Free: 4:31.10, 1000 Free: 9:15.52, 1650 Free: 15:27.00, 100 Breast: 54.27, 200 Breast: 1:55.93, and 400 IM: 3:59.79).
He later worked as a volunteer assistant coach for Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach.
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How Tall Is Lia Thomas?
Lia Thomas stands tall to the height of 6 feet 3 inches.
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How Much Is Lia Thomas Net Worth?
Lia Thomas might have a net worth under $100 thousand.
