The story also refers to a coach named Joe Barron, but no one by that name is listed on the national volleyball team’s coaching staff.

While Thomas has said she wants to compete at the Olympic trials with the goal of swimming at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, she has never played competitive volleyball, and there are no reports of anyone offering her a tryout for that team. Images both in the Facebook post and above the story on the Dunning-Kruger Times show the U.S. Its “About Us” section says “ Everything on this website is fiction.”Ĭhristopher Blair, creator of America's Last Line of Defense, told USA TODAY in an email that everything in the story about Thomas is “satire and completely fictional” and called transgender athletes “a hot-button” issue.įact check: No, Miss USA isn't boycotting Miss Universe pageant The text in the story on the website is nearly identical to one posted in June by the Dunning-Kruger Times, which is described as a subsidiary of the America’s Last Line of Defense network of satirical websites. The Facebook post links to a story published on a website called 'Health of Ministry' in the comments. The accomplishment made her a central figure in the ongoing discussion about transgender women in sports. Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win a national championship at the NCAA’s highest level when she won the 2022 Division I title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle in March.

The claim originated as satire and the writer of the original piece called it “completely fictional.” Thomas is swimmer, not volleyball player The post was shared more than 5,000 times in four days.įollow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Our rating: False “US Women’s Team Says They’ll All Quit If Lia Thomas Gets a Tryout: ‘We Don’t Need a Ringer,’” reads text included in the post. Watch Video: Transgender kids seek treatment across state lines The claim: US national team threatened to quit over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas's tryoutĪ July 21 Facebook post ( direct link, archive link) shows a photo of a woman's volleyball team next to a photo of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

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