Did the International Swimming Body’s Transgender Decision Just Shut Down a Right-Wing Talking Point?

Rich von Biberstein/AP

World Aquatics’ latest ruling regarding transgender swimmers could potentially knock the wind out of the sails of one the of the largest current right-wing talking points.

On Tuesday, World Aquatics — the governing body for major swimming championships and the Olympics — announced the creation of an “open category” in which trans swimmers will compete. Previously, trans swimmers were outright banned from competing in major events.

“This is a very complex topic,” World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam said at a conference in Fukuoka, Japan. “But I am delighted to tell you today that we are now making plans for the first trial of an open category, and we hope to be able to confirm all the details soon.

“Our sport must be open to everybody.”

What makes this ruling especially significant is the fact that it came from the sport that sparked the national discussion.

In 2022, women’s collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines competed in the NCAA Championships against Lia Thomas, a transgender woman. Gaines has been vocal in her disapproval of the experience and advocates for bans on trans athletes in women’s sports. She was even ambushed for speaking on the issue at a university.

As of Wednesday morning, Gaines has not publicly commented on the announcement from World Aquatics.

The issue has since made its way to lawmakers in the nation’s capital. In April, the House approved legislation that would ban trans athletes from participating in girls and women’s teams. Outside of Washington, D.C., at least 20 states have taken matters into their own hands with bans at the school level.

Now, World Aquatics could be laying out the blueprint at the professional level. Similar to what’s been done with bathrooms in some establishments, the creation of an all-gender or open category would allow trans athletes to participate without forcing them to compete with a gender they no longer consider themselves.

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