Jacob Pebley Urges Consideration of Mental Health in Transgender Swimming Debate
Olympic swimmer Jacob Pebley weighed in on the debate over transgender swimmers sparked by Penn’s Lia Thomas, advocating for a consideration of mental health for swimmers involved.
Pebley posted his comments to Instagram.
Among his key points is the emphasis on the psychological side of things. He cited the high suicide rate in the transgender community and, incorporating his struggles with mental health, exhorted those weighing in on Thomas’ eligibility to swim to consider that. Pebley writes:
“I shudder to think what Lia is not only thinking about herself but also the young trans swimmers seeing their role models advocate for excluding them from competing in alignment with their identity. If you think the physiological advantage is so great, I urge you to consider the psychological disadvantage she and many others are facing currently.”
Pebley stressed that Thomas isn’t breaking any rules, and he disdained the “veiling (of) discrimination of a minority party with empathy and ‘understanding.’”
Thomas has sparked controversy with her performance in the pool this season. She’s set some of the times in distance events in the country in her first season on the women’s team after competing on the men’s team for three seasons. Her access to a male puberty in her upbringing has led to claims of competitive imbalance and dissent within the program. (Thomas has only granted one interview this season. Swimming World’s repeated attempts to talk to her have been turned down.)
Pebley, 28, has rarely shied away from commenting on issues in and out of the pool. He was one of the most prominent voices in the swimming community, along with Lia Neal via the Swimmers for Change platform, in the summer of 2020 in advancing athlete advocacy, particularly on issues of racial justice.
Pebley has been outspoken about his mental health struggles. After qualifying for the 2016 Olympics and finishing fifth in the 200 backstroke, he withdrew from Olympic Trials in 2021, citing his mental health. He returned and had a strong season in ISL with the D.C. Trident.