Hawley Questions Consent in Locker Room Sharing with Lia Thomas

<p>Senate Judiciary Committee member Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questioned a witness during a hearing on fairness in women’s sports regarding whether swimmers at Yale consented to sharing a locker room with Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete from the University of Pennsylvania.</p><p>Thomas, who is a biological male identifying as transgender, has been a focal point in discussions about sex divisions in athletics after competing against and defeating swimmer Riley Gaines and others.</p><p>"Three years ago, Riley Gaines sat right where you’re sitting at a hearing in front of this committee, and she described for the committee what it was like to be forced to have a biological man in her locker room without her consent, forced to undress in front of him, forced to watch him undress in front of her, forced to then go compete with her — against her — in a totally unfair situation," Hawley stated to Kim Jones, co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports.</p><p>Hawley noted that Jones’ daughter also swam competitively at Yale, which, like the University of Pennsylvania, is part of the Ivy League.</p><p>Jones confirmed that her daughter raced against Thomas in "multiple competitions" during the 2021-2022 season.</p><p>When asked if the girls on the team were consulted about their comfort level with sharing a locker room with Thomas, Jones answered "no."</p><p>Jones explained that swimmers were required to attend regular mandatory meetings where they were informed that decisions regarding intersex swimming were made by their schools and league.</p><p>"If they wanted to speak on [the subject], they had to get their words cleared by their coaches and athletic directors. They were told to control their families. The threats were gigantic," she said. "The pressure was enormous, and it came down on a regular, regular basis."</p><p>Hawley described the situation as "incredible," but refrained from calling it "unbelievable," stating that the circumstances are believable based on the information available and Jones’ daughter's experiences.</p>