'Your life will be over': Teammate of Lia Thomas says UPenn officials warned women's team of consequences for complaints about trans swimmer's presence



A teammate of controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas said University of Pennsylvania officials warned women swimmers they'd face consequences for speaking out against the presence of Thomas — a biological male who identifies as female — on the women's swim team.

“They’ve made it pretty clear if you speak up about it, your life will be over in some way, you’ll be blasted all over the Internet as a transphobe … you’ll never be able to get a job,” the teammate told Matt Walsh as part of his just-released "What Is a Woman?" documentary, according to the Daily Wire.

What are the details?

The Penn swimmer asked to have her identity shielded for the interview over fear of retribution, the outlet reported, and she told Walsh there were "a lot of things we couldn’t talk about."

While the swimmer said though Thomas' dominating performance helped the team and the university, winning began to feel "tainted."

And of course there was the "locker room situation" — presumably the awkwardness stemming from Thomas changing in front of female swimmers. Yet it was clear, the swimmer said, that “if you even brought up concerns about it, you were transphobic."

The swimmer added that "if you even bring up the fact that Lia’s swimming might not be fair, you’re immediately shut down" and "called a 'hateful person' or 'transphobic.'"

After Walsh asked if any heart-to-heart conversations took place as a team or with a coach about the presence of Thomas, the anonymous swimmer replied that “Penn actually brought in people high up in the athletic department to talk to us — like brought in someone from the LGBTQ center, they brought in someone from psychological services."

Walsh was shocked: “So, you’re upset about what's happening, and so you need psychological help?”

The swimmer replied affirmatively and added that the higher ups said, “Lia’s swimming is a non-negotiable; however, we can help you make that OK. That's what we're here for."

\u201cGMA interviewed Lia Thomas today. Great timing. Our film features one of Thomas's teammates. She told me that women on her team were silenced and referred to psychological counseling if they objected to having Thomas on the team. More in the full film: https://t.co/xibkNa4oHW\u201d
— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1654008701

The University of Pennsylvania on Thursday didn't immediately respond to TheBlaze's request for comment regarding the anonymous swimmer's claims.

(H/T: Louder With Crowder)

Transgender woman who wants to leave Ukraine rips country's transphobia, says 'there's no way Ukrainian border people can let me through'



A transgender woman living in Ukraine wants to get out of the country amid the Russian invasion, but Zi Faámelu's passport says "male" — and the 31-year-old noted to CBS News that "there's no way Ukrainian border people can let me through. There's no way."

What are the details?

The Ukraine State Border Guard Service reportedly announced last week that men ages 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country. But Faámelu may not be granted entry into a neighboring country anyway because of the mismatch between Faámelu's legal sex and lived gender, LBGTQNation said.

"This is not a very rainbow-friendly place. ... Lives for trans people are very bleak here," Faámelu noted to CBS News. "If you have a male gender in your passport, they will not let you go abroad. They will not let you through."

The LGBTQ community has become more accepted over the years, but the network said it's more complicated for transgender people.

Demonstrators rally in Mykhailivska Square, Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, during Trans*March 2021 pro-transgender procession. Yuliia Ovsiannikova/Ukrinform/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

LBGTQNation explained it's not easy for transgender Ukrainians to get updated passports, as Human Rights Watch said they're likely still required to undergo psychiatric observation and gender-affirming surgery to update their documents.

“I don’t want to go through that. This is like, humiliating for the world…. I decided to keep my passport, keep male in my passport, and now I cannot leave this country,” Faámelu noted to CBS News. “[It’s] a war within a war, truly.”

'I'm literally scared for my life'

The network said Faámelu — who lives in Kyiv, which has been barraged by Russian military forces — is running out of food and hasn't left home for days.

"A few hours ago I heard bombings and my windows were shaking. ... I'm literally scared for my life," Faámelu added to CBS News.

What's more, Faámelu told the network that transphobia is the norm in the city and in neighboring countries, and fears that if that trying to leave will increase the chances the transgender woman will be treated violently.

"Many people have guns and weapons. ... It can be an excuse for violence," Faámelu told CBS News, adding, "This is a very scary situation."

CBS News added that Faámelu also was a popular contestant on the Ukrainian singing competition show "Star Factory."

Anything else?

Adding to the difficulty are Faámelu's parents, who live in Crimea, the network said — and, according to Faámelu, don't believe Russia has invaded Kyiv: "They are literally brainwashed. The world sees the picture, but they are simply blind in this case. My parents think it's all fake, that we bomb ourselves, that we try to create some drama."

Transgender woman in Ukraine says she's trapped in Kyiv, scared for her life amid Russian invasionyoutu.be

Adele says 'I really love being a woman!' and a few woke folks accuse singer of transphobia. But Twitter backs up Adele — and tears detractors to shreds.



When world-famous singer Adele was named artist of the year at Tuesday's Brit Awards — which for the first time ditched male and female categories in favor of gender-neutral prizes — she seemed quite relaxed and admitted she wasn't expecting it.

With that, Adele tossed off a casual confession in the wake of her win: “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and being a female artist! I do!” she said to the adoring audience. "I do!"

“I’m really proud of us, I really, really am,” she added.

Adele wins Artist of the Year | The BRIT Awards 2022youtu.be

What happened next?

If you figured the woke mob blasted Adele for her oh-so-gender-exclusive remark, it doesn't appear to be the case, believe it or not.

Oh, sure, a few folks spoke out against the singer's pro-woman declaration. Page Six, which cited the Times of London, said some detractors indicated they “lost a lot of respect for Adele” and would no longer “spend a cent on her music.”

Then there was a “staunch feminist” performer named Jacob who posted to his Twitter followers, “Please, no, ADELE can’t be a TERF,” Page Six added. TERF stands for "trans-exclusionary radical feminist."

But alas, Jacob's Twitter page — for some reason — indicated on Wednesday afternoon that it's now protected.

Screenshots of two Twitter users' posts read as follows: "Adele honey, that was ... low-key transphobic" and "why is Adele transphobic?" But the original tweets weren't on the users' pages Wednesday.

Another screenshot showed a Twitter user's post that read: "I love Adele, but that 'woman' comment seemed like a bit of a dig; non-binary artists deserve better." But again, the original tweet was nowhere to be found on the user's page Wednesday.

So it would seem headlines referring to a pitchfork-wielding woke mob out to get Adele are overblowing it a bit.

Lots of support for Adele

But what isn't overblown is the vast number of folks supporting Adele's statement. Here are a couple:

  • “Thank you @Adele. Just, thank you. For speaking the 2 words being vilified. Woman. Female," author Onjali Rauf tweeted. "Despite all the hate this world throws our way for being (double then triple that if you're a woman of colour & visible faith), I wouldn't have it any other way, either."
  • Teacher and journalist Debbie Hayton noted in an op-ed for the Spectator “girls need role models, and last night Adele stepped up to the plate. For that, she deserves applause, even greater than the adulation she received for her music.”

Numerous others followed suit:

  • "Thank you Adele for using those words," another Twitter user said. "Really important that we NEVER lose them."
  • "Yes, Adele," another user added.
  • "The words, 'woman' and 'female' are being erased," another user observed. "Well said, Adele."

And a whole bunch more fired back at any hint of backlash that might be heading for Adele:

  • "Let’s get society to a point where a woman saying 'I'm a woman, and I like it' isn’t an act of f***ing bravery," one commenter noted.
  • "She's a woman. She's a female artist. This should not be problematic," another user said.
  • "2022. The year in which the cult of gender has taken such a hold that when the winner of the Brits says "I really love being a woman and being a female artist" she is castigated. She'll now be [pressured] to apologize," another commenter offered. "Are you getting it yet?"
  • "A decade ago if someone had said a woman would criticized for the thought-crime of saying she liked being a woman, I would have laughed at such a ludicrous suggestion. Now it is happening, I don't know whether to cry or scream," another user noted. "Congratulations #Adele, and thank you."

'Transphobic' joke told on 'Saturday Night Live' hilariously launches the left into feeding frenzy — on itself



The left is devouring itself yet again.

And on the menu this time is Michael Che, co-host of "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live." During the show's segment a few days back, Che noted that President Joe Biden reversed former President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military.

As the crowd dutifully responded with applause and cheers, Che continued: "It's good news — except Biden is calling the policy, 'Don't ask, don't tuck'" — a riff on the former policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prohibited the military from discriminating against gays and lesbians who kept their lifestyles to themselves.

The audience responded with decidedly nervous laughter as Che threw up his hands and haltingly said, "Which is not good news." After the camera shifted to co-host Colin Jost, Che elicited his own laugh and said, "Whatever."

Rose Dommu with Netflix editorial didn't find the joke very humorous:

This isn’t funny and so many people had to let this joke get to air y’all are dumb https://t.co/CyYQZXEeJX
— Rose Dommu (@Rose Dommu)1612117187.0

What happened next?

Outcry from Che's fellow leftists was loud and clear. LBGTQ Nation called his joke "transphobic."

Charlotte Clymer, a lesbian Army vet with Catholics For Choice, lambasted Che and "SNL": "What is Saturday Night Live's weird obsession with transphobic nonsense?" Clymer tweeted. "I honestly don't get it. It's so lazy and sad. Last night, Michael Che joked about the repeal of the trans ban being called 'don't ask, don't tuck' -- who is this 'joke' for?"

Clymer added, "For all the scaremongering over trans people, it never ceases to be incredibly creepy the way some cis people are obsessed with our bodies. It's gross and weird and creepy."

Others responded similarly:

  • BuzzFeed Daily's co-host Zach Stafford said, "This is so gross wow."
  • "They really need to sort out their writer's room," another commenter wrote. "Normalizing transphobia gets people killed."
  • "I swear this is like Michael Che's whole schtick," another user said. "Never heard him tell a funny joke, so he has to compensate instead by saying s**t like this."

Neither Che nor "Saturday Night Live" have commented about the joke, Salon reported. But you know who did run a report on it? NBC News — which happens to be on the same TV network as SNL.

In fact, NBC News posted a number of tweets about the controversy, on its own Twitter page as well as twice on NBCOut — prompting one commenter to ask, "How many times are you going to tweet this, NBC News?"

Not the first time for Che

Salon said Che has faced previous criticism for anti-trans humor, noting that in 2019 he called Caitlyn Jenner by the celeb's former name (i.e., "dead naming") and misgendered the former Olympic champion.

The outlet also said Che was criticized for using a transphobic slur in his 2016 stand-up special "Michael Che Matters."

Anything else?

One might find it interesting — or perhaps not — that a number of Twitter users vigorously defended Che and SNL:

  • "They are comedians," one commenter wrote. "The last I checked you go to comedy club, and comedians make fun of every constitutionally protected class. It has been for generations."
  • "I don't think it is that much of a slight," another user said. "All groups are satirized on SNL. The crap done to mainstream groups is always open season. Accepting a group means you are fare game."
  • "OK, I have a friend who is trans, and he shared a clip of this on Sunday because they thought it was funny," another commenter noted. "Their friends liked and shared it because they thought it was funny. Just saying, not everyone in the community was offended."

But one also wonders how enthusiastic their entreaties would be if a conservative had uttered the same joke.

Oh well. Che sera sera.