Lia Thomas’ ex-teammate shreds left for tolerating transgender athletes in women’s sports: ‘Lost their mind’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Paula Scanlan has fought to keep biological males out of girls and women’s sports ever since her former teammate, Lia Thomas, won an NCAA title three years ago.

On Tuesday, Scanlan appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” to discuss the lack of fairness in allowing transgender athletes to compete against biological females.

“It’s not fair for them to compete because they’re looking at a crazy difference between being in the men’s category and being in the women’s category. And the people that are saying this have lost their mind … because no one agrees with this. Even Democrats agree that men should not compete in women’s sports,” Scanlan said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Paula scanlon speaks

Paula Scanlan shares her story as a swimmer at UPenn with teammate Lia Thomas, the first transgender Division I athlete to win a title, in Scranton, Pa., May 29, 2024.  (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“It’s heartbreaking, and that’s exactly why we’ve fought so hard for this issue. Women didn’t have sports back in the day. They fought so hard for Title IX, and now we’re looking at having to fight all over again because mediocre male athletes want to put on a dress and grow their hair out and say that they’re magically women one day. That’s why this issue has lost its way.”

Scanlan noted that “80% of Americans” believe that transgender girls and women should not participate based on their gender identity, and “many” of her friends and family members “who are lifelong Democrats voted for Donald Trump this past November strictly because of this issue.”

“And if that shows how wildly unpopular it is, 80% of Americans agree on this. How many issues do 80% of Americans agree on? That again shows where this is, that everyone’s lost their mind, and common sense is having men not playing in women’s sports,” Scanlan continued.

Lia Thomas in Georgia

Penn Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas prepares for the 200 free at the NCAA swimming and diving championships at Georgia Tech in Atlanta March 18, 2022. (Brett Davis/USA Today Sports)

BONDI WARNS THREE STATES TO COMPLY WITH LAW KEEPING BOYS OUT OF GIRLS SPORTS OR FACE LEGAL ACTION

“I think what we saw in this past election is so many voters had to come over to our side because the left really lost their way with common sense. …  If they want to keep doubling down on this, I say let them, but, for their sake, I hope they stop and realize that no voters want this.”

The U.S. Department of Education has launched Title IX investigations into California, Minnesota and Maine for allegedly continuing to allow transgender athletes to compete against biological females in defiance of Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order signed Feb. 5.

The USDOE is also investigating San Jose State; Scanlan’s alma mater, Penn; and a Massachusetts high school. Transgender athletes Blaire Fleming and Thomas starred for SJSU and Penn, respectively.

Trump signs the No Men in Women's Sports Executive Order

President Donald Trump signs the No Men in Women’s Sports executive order into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 5, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump even threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine if Gov. Janet Mills continued to ignore his order.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Johnathon Mcnaught
Read More

Latest

Mentalist Oz Pearlman Will Get Inside Trump’s Mind at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Typically, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner features a comedian for its star act. In years past, the journalists, executives, agents, and miscellaneous members of the DC establishment have gathered at the Washington Hilton to hear speeches from the head of the correspondents’ association and the president. Then a comedian gets up to properly skewer the

David Pollack Reflects on Being Laid Off From ESPN College GameDay

Moving from the Saturday morning spotlight to a home studio was a major shift for one of the most decorated defensive players in college football history. David Pollack, the former Georgia Bulldog and longtime ESPN mainstay, recently shared his perspective on the day his 13-year tenure at the network came to an abrupt end. Appearing

Star High School Football Player Shot and Killed in Texas

Star High School Football Player Shot and Killed in Texas A Lancaster High School football player was shot and killed during an off-campus shooting this week. Myers Anthony, a 16-year-old football star at Lancaster High School in Lancaster. The shooting is still being investigated as a homicide and appears to be an isolated incident. Anthony

New Orleans Saints News, April 16: Could Arvell Reese fall to the Saints?

Skip to main content Here are today’s Saints news links Apr 16, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC Welcome to today’s roundup of New Orleans Saints and NFL news! Some Saints players are showing up off the football field. A worrying trend. Without a doubt for the Saints. New Orleans Saints News Apr 15 New Orleans Saints

Newsletter

Don't miss

Mentalist Oz Pearlman Will Get Inside Trump’s Mind at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Typically, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner features a comedian for its star act. In years past, the journalists, executives, agents, and miscellaneous members of the DC establishment have gathered at the Washington Hilton to hear speeches from the head of the correspondents’ association and the president. Then a comedian gets up to properly skewer the

David Pollack Reflects on Being Laid Off From ESPN College GameDay

Moving from the Saturday morning spotlight to a home studio was a major shift for one of the most decorated defensive players in college football history. David Pollack, the former Georgia Bulldog and longtime ESPN mainstay, recently shared his perspective on the day his 13-year tenure at the network came to an abrupt end. Appearing

Star High School Football Player Shot and Killed in Texas

Star High School Football Player Shot and Killed in Texas A Lancaster High School football player was shot and killed during an off-campus shooting this week. Myers Anthony, a 16-year-old football star at Lancaster High School in Lancaster. The shooting is still being investigated as a homicide and appears to be an isolated incident. Anthony

New Orleans Saints News, April 16: Could Arvell Reese fall to the Saints?

Skip to main content Here are today’s Saints news links Apr 16, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC Welcome to today’s roundup of New Orleans Saints and NFL news! Some Saints players are showing up off the football field. A worrying trend. Without a doubt for the Saints. New Orleans Saints News Apr 15 New Orleans Saints

How NFL Prospects Can Build a Winning Football Resume

How NFL Prospects Can Build a Winning Football Resume For serious football players, a clean, well-structured football resume example can help turn game film into something a coach, scout, recruiter, or personnel staffer can scan fast and actually use. The competition is brutal at every level, with only 1.4% of NCAA football players drafted into the NFL

Family Business? Tee Grizzley Reacts After His Mom Accuses Him Of Leaving Her To Struggle (PHOTOS)

Y’all… it looks like some family tension might be brewing behind the scenes involving Tee Grizzley and his mom. What seemed like a regular social media post quickly turned into something deeper. And now, folks are side-eyeing the situation and wondering what’s really going on. RELATED: Tee Grizzley Shares A Message For Artists After His

SoE necessary but not sufficient, business leaders say

PE­TER CHRISTO­PHER Se­nior Mul­ti­me­dia Re­porter pe­ter.christo­pher@guardian.co.tt Heavy hand­ed but nec­es­sary giv­en the state of crime in T&T. This was a com­mon as­sess­ment from var­i­ous busi­ness groups when asked for their per­spec­tive on the lat­est de­c­la­ra­tion of a state of emer­gency in the coun­try. The T&T Cham­ber of In­dus­try and Com­merce, in a re­leased is­sued yes­ter­day

The Big Business of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Can a nine-episode limited series really impact an entire season of shopping trends? Today brands are experiencing—and chasing—the “Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy effect” as a result of Ryan Murphy’s Love Story. And in many cases, it’s more pervasive than they could have prepared for. The FX series, based on the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and