Amid ongoing debate, Lia Thomas made history for transgender athletes

Lia Thomas made history this year when she became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA championship.

Thomas, a swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania who has since revealed that she aspires to compete at the Olympics, also set off a worldwide debate about the participation of transgender women in women’s sports. The debate led to a flurry of swimming policy changes that some said appeared to target Thomas, while others said the policies weren’t strict enough, making Thomas’ historic wins unfair.

As Thomas ignited debate in the sports world, state legislatures also began passing bills to ban transgender athletes from participating on school sports teams that align with their gender identities — with Republican legislators in Pennsylvania mentioning Thomas by name during debate. Such measures have become law in 17 states — the majority in just the last year, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank that tracks the legislation.