Doctors from the US-based Mayo Clinic have agreed with those who insist that trans athlete Lia Thomas has an unfair advantage over biological females, even after undergoing testosterone supressing therapy, according to The New York Times.
“Lia Thomas is the manifestation of the scientific evidence,” said Sports Psychologist Dr Ross Tucker. “The reduction in testosterone did not remove her biological advantage.”
According to Michael J. Joyner, a Mayo Clinic doctor studying the physiology of male and female athletes, "physiology and biology underpin" social aspects that exist in sport.
It seems that even Thomas' compliance with the NCAA's demand on testosterone levels does not remove the unfair advantage she has over biological females she races against, according to medics. After entering female competitions, the trans athlete has risen significantly in the national rankings, jumping from her 32nd place she secured in men's meets to eighth in the 1,650-yard female freestyle.
However, Dr Carole Hooven, lecturer and co-director of undergraduate studies in human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, told The New York Times that "activists conflate sex and gender in a way that is really confusing."
“There is a large performance gap between healthy normal populations of males and females, and that is driven by testosterone," she said.
Lia Thomas' case ignited controversy over trans rights after she won the 500-yard NCAA women’s championship in March. Many people, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, decried this victory as unfair and hailed another participant, a biological female, as the actual winner. Thomas herself argued that she belongs on a female team since she identifies herself as a woman.