House Republicans introduce resolution declaring Emma Weyant the 'rightful winner' of NCAA title over trans swimmer Lia Thomas

House Republicans introduced a new resolution Wednesday to recognize Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant as the "rightful winner" of the 500-yard freestyle event at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships earlier this month. Weyant was the runner-up to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). and cosponsored by 21 House Republicans.

Boebert wrote on Twitter, "I’ve had enough of the woke foolishness. I’m leading a House Resolution to declare Emma Weyant the winner of the NCAA Women’s 500 yard freestyle swim. You cannot be a man and win a women’s swimming race."

"Emma Weyant was the fastest woman competing in the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle, but her first-place win was stolen by a mediocre man who couldn’t cut it in men’s swimming," Boebert said in a press release.

"Emma is a world-class student-athlete whose strong performances in the Summer Olympics and 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship speak for themselves," Boebert added. "These victories, coupled with her leadership of other women on her team and her dedication to excellence are worthy of Congressional recognition. I will keep working to save women's sports from woke ideology threatening to strip women of a level playing field."

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) proclaimed, "Emma Weyant worked her whole life to compete in the NCAA women's swimming championships — only to be beaten by a biological male. This is a travesty for women's sports and sets a horrific precedent for our future generations of female athletes. As a high school athlete and former track coach, I am proud to be a champion for women's sports and stand up against men stealing their medals and erasing their years of hard work. Emma beat every woman in her race and deserves to be recognized as the rightful winner of the NCAA Division I Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle."

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) declared, "The University of Virginia’s Emma Weyant, a world-class student-athlete and Olympic medalist, is the true winner of the women’s NCAA 500-yard freestyle. Emma’s victory was unfortunately overshadowed by a biological male who took home first place due to an arbitrary, anti-science definition of gender pushed by the radical Left. To deny Emma’s win is to ignore the fact that women have two X chromosomes and certain biological distinctions that disqualify biological males like Lia (William) Thomas from being a contender in a women’s swim meet. Only biological females belong in women’s sports, and it is unethical and unfair for a biological male to rob the prize from the legitimate victor of a women’s race."

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) stated, "Emma Weyant was unfairly robbed of her true NCAA title – all because a biological male, Will 'Lia' Thomas, placed first in a women’s only race. The Left's war on women is dangerous, illogical, and flat-out evil. We cannot allow woke nonsense to shatter dreams and undermine legitimate women’s accomplishments, which is why I’m proud to join Congresswoman Boebert in correcting this injustice."

Rep. Diana Harshbarger professed, "I am deeply disappointed that far-left ideology has gone so far as to help a man steal a deserved victory from a woman. What a regressive and dangerous lesson to teach our children. The only possible winner of the NCAA Division I Women’s 500-yard Freestyle competition is the woman who finished first, Emma Weyant."

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) simply said, "Emma won. Everyone gets that. So Congress should say it."

Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a proclamation that declared Weyant the "real winner" of the NCAA Women's 500-yard freestyle swim competition. Weyant – who is a native of Sarasota, Florida – was named the "best women's swimmer in the 500-yard freestyle" by DeSantis.

"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," DeSantis argued.

"She trains, I mean, to compete at that level is very, very difficult. And you don't just roll out of bed and do it," DeSantis said of Weyant. "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."

Weyant – a 20-year-old freshman at the University of Virginia – finished second to Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania in the 500-yard freestyle. Weyant finished the race with the third-fastest time in UVA history, according to the university. However, Thomas finished the race 1.75 seconds faster than Weyant. With the victory, Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA Division I title.

"Weyant, 20, won the silver medal in the women’s 400-meter individual medley at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Florida native is also a three-time U.S. National Champion, a two-time Junior Pan Pacific medalist and a four-time Florida High School Athletic Association 4A State Champion in the 500 free and 200 individual medley," Fox News reported.

Weyant was also named a four-time scholar-athlete, four-time high school All-American, and three-time MVP, according to the University of Virginia.

Thomas – a biological male – is a fifth-year senior who swam for three years on the men's team before transitioning to female and going through hormone-replacement therapy.

In February, 16 members of the University of Pennsylvania women's swim team sent a letter to school and Ivy League officials stating that Thomas should not be allowed to compete against biological females.

"We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. Lia has every right to live her life authentically," the letter read. "However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someone's gender identity."

"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 UPenn swimmers said.