Penn teammates back transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in public statement

Members of the women’s swimming and diving team at the University of Pennsylvania released a statement Tuesday in “full support” of their teammate Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who has become the subject of debate and transphobic rhetoric since she broke multiple records at a meet in December. 

“As members of the Penn Women’s Swimming and Diving team and teammates of Lia Thomas, we want to express our full support for Lia in her transition,” the team members said in the statement, which a Penn spokesperson shared with NBC News by email after it was first reported by ESPN. 

“We value her as a person, teammate, and friend,” it continued. “The sentiments put forward by an anonymous member of our team are not representative of the feelings, values, and opinions of the entire Penn team, composed of 39 women with diverse backgrounds,” the athletes said, referring to a recent Fox News interview with an anonymous team member who disagrees with Thomas’ participation on the women’s team.