A transgender member of the University of Pennsylvania's women's swimming team received support from her school and the Ivy League Friday.
Lia Thomas has been at the center of the national debate over whether transgender women should be allowed to participate on female sports teams.
On Friday, the Ivy League issued a statement of support of Thomas.
“Over the past several years, Lia and the University of Pennsylvania have worked with the NCAA to follow all of the appropriate protocols in order to comply with the NCAA policy on transgender athlete participation and compete on the Penn women’s swimming and diving team,” the Ivy League said in a statement.
The Ivy League and Penn said they are committed to an inclusive and diverse environment.
"Thomas has met or exceeded all NCAA protocols over the past two years for a transgender female student-athlete to compete for a women's team," Penn Athletics said. "She will continue to represent the Penn women's swimming team in competition this season."
According to SwimSwam, Thomas is currently the top-ranked NCAA female swimmer in the women’s 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle.
