Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Monika Burzynska has publicly reflected on her time sharing locker rooms and competition swaps with transgender athlete Lia Thomas during the 2021–22 season. She described feeling uncomfortable changing near Thomas and often altered her routine to avoid awkward encounters—retreating to stalls or changing later to maintain privacy.
Burzynska, who identifies with conservative values, said she initially empathized with Thomas’s situation, noting her transition journey seemed like an internal struggle. But the experience of competing and changing alongside Thomas, she said, shifted her view and sparked a deeper concern for fairness in women’s sports.
She expressed approval for UPenn’s recent decision, influenced by a Title IX directive from President Trump’s administration, to strip Thomas’s records and apply a biological sex standard to the university’s sports programs. Burzynska said the move restored “a deep sense of peace and validation” for her and fellow female athletes.
While she praised the policy change as essential for preserving competitive integrity, Burzynska also emphasized that the shift is just a starting point and urged ongoing efforts to protect women’s sports through clear rules and respectful dialogue.