"It's a f***ing crime" - Joe Rogan slams trans athlete Lia Thomas competing against female swimmers

Lia Thomas is a transwoman swimmer and NCAA Division I national champion in the 500-yard freestyle event. In recent months, she has been at the centre of a debate about the participation of trans athletes in swimming as well as other sports.

Joe Rogan, an American UFC commentator and popular podcaster, spoke about Thomas in a recent episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.

Rogan discussed the issue with physician Peter Attia. The video of the interaction between Rogan and Attia was posted on the YouTube channel called JRE Shorts. Speaking about Lia Thomas competing as a woman, Rogan said:

"It’s just what they’ve done to those other girls that are competing against her is just a f***ing crime. It’s horrible. Imagine if you’re a biological woman, you are working your a** off. You are fully dedicated to being the best of the best. You’re dotting all your I’s and crossing all your T’s.

"You are watching your diet. You are watching your recovery. You are f***ing trying. And this person who just decides they’re a woman with testosterone flowing through their body for their entire life - just dominates you. It’s f***ing maddening."

Joe Rogan added a few more lines to the discussion. The American UFC Commentator said:

"Swimming, I mean that Lia Thomas is still the number one swimmer in the world, and it’s a biological male. Period. End of discussion. It’s madness. The whole thing is so crazy that you can call yourself a woman and then you’re a woman. And like, this has nothing to do with trans rights. It just has to do with humans."

University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas smiles after winning the 100-yard freestyle during the 2022 Ivy League Womens Swimming and Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool

Rogan wasn't done yet and said this too:

"We're a society that needs a real problem. We are fixating on these f***ing very strange issues and deciding that we're gonna correct all the inequities and inequalities in the world by allowing these people to express their truth."

Apart from Joe Rogan, several others have shared their opinions on trans athlete Lia Thomas competing in the women's category. Thomas was recently awarded recognition by ESPN in a TV special dedicated to Women's History Month. This wasn't well received by some.

Swimmer Riley Gaines tweeted that Lia Thomas was not a brave, courageous woman who earned the national title. Gaines also wrote that if she was a woman working for ESPN, then she would walk out.

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World Athletics announcement regarding the participation of trans women in women's category

On March 23, 2023, World Athletics made an announcement that transgender women have been banned from competing in the women's category in international events. The debate about transgender athletes competing in the women's division has been going on for a while in recent years.

Sebastian Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Federation, stated that no transgender athlete who has gone through male puberty will be allowed to compete in women's world ranking competitions. This will be in effect from March 31, 2023, onwards.