Michael Phelps’ trans ex-girlfriend Taylor Lianne Chandler feels the swimmer’s stance on trans athletes is hypocritical and hurtful. The 36-year-old, who is the most successful and decorated Olympian of all time, commeting on the controversey surrounding Lia Thomas, said that sports should all be played on an even playing field.
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Thomas became eligible under NCAA rules to compete in collegiate competitions as a member of the women’s program. She underwent the required one-year of testosterone suppressant use. The 22-year-old, at this rate, is expected to win the national championships and compete for all-time NCAA records set by Olympic gold medalists Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky.
Talking about Thomas’ case, Phelps, during an interview with CNN, said that it was ‘complicated’.
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“I believe that we all should feel comfortable with who we are in our own skin, but I think sports should all be played on an even playing field,” he said.
“I don’t know what it looks like in the future. It’s hard. It’s very complicated and this is my sport, this has been my sport my whole entire career, and honestly the one thing I would love is everybody being able to compete on an even playing field.”
Slamming her ex-boyfriend, Chandler, who was born intersex, meaning she had male genitalia but no testicles and a uterus but no ovaries, told radar that he he is a hypocrite.
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“He doesn’t fully understand the science, advantages or disadvantages,” she said.
Chandler further added that Phelps is ‘genetically superior with his 6’7″ wingspan, double-jointed ankles and huge feet’.
“His chemical composition allows him to breathe in and fill his lungs and hold his breath longer [than his competitors],” she continued, further adding that the 28-medal winner also experiences ‘the chemical advantages of having ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder], which comes with added strength and endurance’.
Phelps also compared competing as a trans athlete to those who dope to improve performance.
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“Even he says that he never competed on a level playing field, inferring doping, and they still could not beat him,” argued Chandler. She said that the comment hurt the most.
“In that moment of watching and hearing him say those things, it felt like a literal slap in the face,” she continued. “I felt like I was good enough to love, lay with and be with, but not be respected or allowed in the women’s sport of swimming – like I was not a woman, but rather an alien or God-knows-what. It can’t be a woman’s sport if it doesn’t include all women, period!”