Athletes should not always be identified as the gender they were assigned at birth, the trans activist believes
A trans campaigner who has claimed she once dated Olympic Games legend Michael Phelps has said he “doesn’t fully understand the science” behind the row over transgender athletes and described his remarks as making her feel like an “alien”.
Taylor Lianne Chandler, who was born intersex – with male genitalia but no testicles and a uterus but no ovaries – has lashed out at quotes from swimming superstar Phelps about Lia Thomas, the transgender college athlete whose record-breaking feats have put her at the center of a fierce debate around fairness, with some calling on governing bodies to revise rules around testosterone requirements.
Good morning. What’s on your mind? pic.twitter.com/pq91nr9Hzi
— Taylor Lianne Chandler (@RealTayChaTLC) January 25, 2022
The author and self-described media personality acknowledged that Phelps appeared to have been caught off-guard when he was asked about the controversial issue but said she felt he should have openly offered support to transgender athletes.
“He went on to say a whole lot of vague and confusing things that could be taken to apply or not apply,” said Thomas, telling Radar that Phelps is “a hypocrite for saying it should be a level playing field” and claiming that the record-breaking 28-time Olympic medalist also has “chemical advantages” in strength and endurance because he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
