{"id":136353,"date":"2023-10-28T00:01:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-28T04:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=136353"},"modified":"2023-10-28T08:27:22","modified_gmt":"2023-10-28T12:27:22","slug":"male-dropped-request-to-compete-as-female-swimmer-even-as-roanoke-college-rushed-to-accommodate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/male-dropped-request-to-compete-as-female-swimmer-even-as-roanoke-college-rushed-to-accommodate\/","title":{"rendered":"Male dropped request to compete as female swimmer, even as Roanoke College rushed to accommodate"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATED<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Riley Gaines says Roanoke\u2019s trans athlete is \u2018another mediocre male athlete identifying as a woman\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Roanoke College recently joined the list of schools allowing men to compete with the women after a transgender student requested to join the women\u2019s swim team.<\/p>\n

However, the student who wanted an opportunity to compete with the women changed his mind before the rule was passed.<\/p>\n

The male student is reportedly no longer pursuing his request, even after the school rushed to figure out a way to accommodate him. The process played out as some members of the women\u2019s swim team held a press conference to criticize the male swimmer\u2019s request.<\/p>\n

The male swimmer at the Salem, Virginia college \u201chad competed on the men\u2019s swim team as a first-year student, then took a year off from competition before returning to the sport this season,\u201d the college said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n

A College Fix<\/em> review of the 2021-22 men\u2019s swim roster compared to the 2022-23 swim roster identified only one freshman who was not on the team the following year.<\/p>\n

In response to an email Friday asking about the student’s identity, a campus spokesperson told The Fix<\/em>, “The name you referenced is not the correct name of our transgender student. For safety reasons, we will not be releasing the student\u2019s name.”<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> followed-up on Saturday morning and asked for clarification if the name used in the original media inquiry was at one time the name the swimmer went by.<\/p>\n

Riley Gaines, an advocate of protecting women\u2019s sports, was present at the \u201cNCAA \u2014 Save Women\u2019s Sports!\u201d event organized by Independent Women’s Forum and spoke with The College Fix<\/em> about its importance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s refreshing to see a group of girls willing to say enough is enough when they\u2019re faced with an injustice,\u201d Gaines told The Fix<\/em> via text messaging. \u201cI\u2019m so proud to link arms with them in the fight to save women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the press conference, Gaines said she \u201csaw first hand the effects\u201d of men competing against women, referencing her own experience swimming against William Thomas, a male University of Pennsylvania swimmer.<\/p>\n

It was \u201cjust a year and a half ago when we were forced to compete and change in a locker room with Lia (formerly Will) Thomas,\u201d Gaines said at the press conference in early October. \u201cJust as a reminder, Thomas went from 462nd in the men\u2019s category to then winning a national title in the women\u2019s category just one year later.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also speculated around the reasoning the trans athlete at Roanoke retracted his decision to compete with the women.<\/p>\n