Trans Yale Swimming Star Goes From Shark To Scrub After Joining Men’s Team

An Ivy League All-American Swimmer went from pool sharks to scrub after transitioning to male from female. Lia Thomas.

Iszac Henig, a senior member of the Yale men’s swim team, placed 79th out of 83 at a men’s meet in November After earning All-American plaudits as a junior on the school’s women’s team. But In an op ed column Henig This article was written for New York Times This week, the 22 year-old athlete, whose breasts had been removed, said that living as a man makes it all worth it.

“I Chose to Compete as My True, Trans Self. I Win Less, but I Live More,” Read the headline Henig’s New York Times article.

In This article Henig Resigns from dominance

“I wasn’t the slowest guy in any of my events, but I’m not as successful in the sport as I was on the women’s team,” Submitted HenigThe winner was a one-armed swimmer who beat three other swimmers who were skilled in other strokes. November.

That’s This is exactly what is happening. Here Trans men Iszac Henig Who competed in women’s categories. pic.twitter.com/22FuvUuSum

— Fernanda (@Fernand18962391) April 8, 2022

HenigHe hails from Menlo Park, California, was a high school phenom who even tried out for the 2016 Olympics Olympics It was long before I had a double mastectomy and that I identified as a man. As A sophomore at Yale, Henig was the top swimmer on the women’s team.

ThomasOn the other side, he was a weak competitor on the University Of Pennsylvania men’s team before identifying as a female and smashing records while representing the school’s women’s team. Several Of Thomas’s teammates and rivals complained That Thomas’s biological advantages made competitions unfair.

Thomas Henig Actually, they fought each other in the first half of last year. Henig Before identifying as a man, I had never been identified as a man. Henig switched over to the men’s team. Henig bested Thomas In both the 100-yard and 400 yard freestyle events.

In The column for The New York Times, Henig acknowledged a longstanding attraction to women, but said being in the women’s locker room was always uncomfortable.

“I thought that my unease came from worry that my sexuality made others uncomfortable,” Henig wrote. “I hadn’t yet considered that the real reason I felt so off was my sense of being in the wrong locker room.”

Henig To maintain NCAA eligibility and to begin the transition, I took the 2020-2021 year off of school.

“I dived deeper into queerness, exploring the balance of masculinity and femininity, especially with presentation in clothing,” Henig wrote. “Through that I discovered binders, base-layer compression garments used to create a more traditionally masculine chest appearance.”

Henig’s breasts were removed in early 2021. Upon Return to Yale, HenigThe woman, who was already taking male hormones, was offered the option of competing as a woman, or as a man. Henig initially chose to remain on the women’s team, but then joined the men’s team for the 2022-23 season.

Going It’s worth it to go from star to also-ran HenigHe is happy to compete with men.

“I’m trying to connect with my teammates in new ways, to cheer loudly, to focus more on the excitement of the sport,” Henig wrote. “Competing and being challenged is the best part. It’s a different kind of fulfillment. And it’s pretty great to feel comfortable in the locker room every day.”

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