Ex-swimmer Gaines calls for transgender-only lockers, say Lia Thomas exposed 'male genitalia'

"Not even probably a year, two years ago, this would have been considered some form of sexual assault, voyeurism," the former student athlete said.

Transgender woman Lia Thomas (L) of the University of Pennsylvania stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists (L-R) Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde pose for a photo at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship on March 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Riley Gaines, a former star swimmer turned women's sports advocate, is pushing for the NCAA to establish locker rooms for transgender athletes, alleging she and her college teammates were exposed to University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas' 'male genitalia' in a women's locker room after a meet.

Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky and a two-time Olympic trial qualifier, told Fox News on Wednesday that she was uncomfortable about encountered Thomas, a biological male who spent three years competing on the Penn men's team before taking a year off for hormone treatment and joining the women's team.

"We were not forewarned beforehand that we would be sharing a locker room with Lia," said Gaines, whose college career ended last year. "We did not give our consent. They did not ask for our consent, but in that locker room we turned around and there’s a 6-foot-4 biological man dropping his pants and watching us undress, and we were exposed to male genitalia."

Gaines, who now is a spokesperson for the Independent Women's Forum, a non-profit supporting women, also said: "Not even probably a year, two years ago, this would have been considered some form of sexual assault, voyeurism. But now not even are they just allowing it to happen, it’s almost as if these large organizations are encouraging it to happen."