Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., told the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) what he thought of the organization’s policy allowing transgender females to compete in women’s sports Tuesday.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas won an NCAA Division I title after finishing first in the women's 500-yard freestyle event in Atlanta last week. But she made history by becoming the first biological male, transgender female athlete to do so.
University of Virginia freshman Emma Weyant trailed Thomas by a mere 1.75 seconds. Last summer she brought to her Sarasota, Florida home a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the Tokyo Olympics.
DeSantis was having none of it.
"By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud," he tweeted.
"In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle."
DeSantis attached an official proclamation to his tweet, announcing, "Weyant is the rightful winner of the 2022 NCAA Division 1 500-yard Freestyle, [I] congratulate her on yet another significant achievement, and express pride that she is a Florida resident."
The governor was asked about the proclamation during an appearance at a Wesley Chapel school.
"She’s been an absolute superstar, her whole career, she trains, I mean, to compete at that level is very, very difficult," DeSantis said of Weyant. "You don’t just roll out of bed and do it. That takes grit, that takes determination. And she’s been an absolute superstar. And she had the fastest time of any woman in college athletics."
This isn’t the first time Florida and the college sports organization have butted heads.
Last year when the NCAA announced that it would pull any events from states having laws banning transgender students from participation in school athletics, Florida responded by passing a bill that would prevent tax dollars from going to businesses or organization, such as the NCAA, that boycott the state.
"Oh yeah, we’re going to protect our girls. I have a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter and they’re both very athletic. And we want to have opportunities for our girls," DeSantis said.
"They deserve an even playing field and that’s what we’re doing with what Mississippi did, with what Florida did, and I know with what other states are going to do," he added.
"So I look forward to being able to sign that into law."
DeSantis wasn’t the only person or organization to recognize Weyant the winner, beginning with American Principles, which tweeted two photos of her, along with this message:
"This is Emma Weyant from the University of Virginia. She finished in second place to Lia Thomas in the women’s 500 Free at the NCAA national championships," they wrote. “But she’s the true winner to all of us."
Kelley Paul, the wife of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., agreed, and addied this note: "Congratulations on winning the Women’s 500 Free, Emma!"
American Principles included a reminder of the differences: "Lia Thomas spent 21 years of his life as a man. He started competing against women in swimming this year and became a national champion," they tweeted.
"Our daughter’s sports are not a plan B for failed male athletes."
The controversy over Thomas competing in female athletics came to a head last month when 16 members of Penn’s women’s swim team sent the university a letter demonstrating the edge Thomas enjoyed when competing.
"Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the women’s category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female," the letter said.
In times of uncertainty and crisis the people turn to their leaders for encouragement and guidance, and the differences between the leadership coming from the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee and the lack of that quality coming from the White House couldn’t be more apparent.
As my friend Dr. Bill likes to say, "Everything rises and falls on leadership."
For the past 38 months Florida’s star has been skyrocketing; during the last 14 months the United States has been in freefall.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter who can often be found honing his skills at the range. Read Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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