“REMOVE HER”: Male Swimmers Unite in Outrage – Caeleb Dressel Leads Boycott Threat Against Lia Thomas in 2028 Olympics, World Aquatics Delivers Crushing Ban
Los Angeles, CA – November 28, 2025 – The swimming world is ablaze with controversy as “REMOVE HER” becomes the rallying cry echoing from locker rooms to social media feeds. In a dramatic escalation of the long-simmering debate over transgender athletes in elite sports, several top male U.S.
swimmers – spearheaded by seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel – have publicly declared they will boycott the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if Lia Thomas, the polarizing transgender swimmer, is allowed to compete in men’s events.
Their raw, unfiltered statements, including fears of sharing locker rooms with “someone like that,” have ignited a firestorm, culminating in a triumphant response from World Aquatics that has male swimmers cheering and Thomas facing a permanent Olympic ban.
This isn’t just a policy shift; it’s a seismic reckoning for fairness, inclusion, and the soul of competitive swimming.
The backlash erupted like a rogue wave just days after World Aquatics’ emergency board meeting on November 25, where officials revisited their 2022 gender inclusion policy amid mounting pressure from elite athletes.
Thomas, who made history in 2022 as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle, had been pushing legal boundaries to return to elite competition.
But her recent filings to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – seeking to overturn restrictions and potentially enter men’s categories – crossed a line for many. “We’re not just talking fairness for women anymore,” Dressel posted on X late Wednesday. “This is about integrity for all of us.
If Lia Thomas steps into the men’s pool or locker room, count me out of LA 2028. We’re terrified of having to share space with someone like that; she is no longer a man like us. #RemoveHer.”
Dressel’s words, raw and resolute, struck a chord, quickly amassing over 2.5 million views and 150,000 likes in under 24 hours. He’s not alone. Ryan Murphy, the Olympic backstroke king with four golds, followed suit: “I’ve swum against the best men in the world – no distractions, no doubts.
Bringing in someone with Thomas’s history? It’s a non-starter. Locker room privacy isn’t negotiable. I’ll sit out ’28 if it comes to that.” Townley Haas, a 2020 silver medalist, amplified the sentiment on Instagram Live: “Bro, we’ve got families, teammates, and standards. ‘She’ competing as one of us? Nah.
World Aquatics, do the right thing – or we will.” Even emerging stars like Dare Rose and Luca Urlando chimed in, with Rose tweeting, “Protect the pool. Protect the team.
#BoycottIfNecessary.” The unified front from these male powerhouses – who collectively hold over 20 Olympic medals – has turned whispers into a roar, trending #RemoveHer worldwide and forcing governing bodies into action.
To grasp the depth of this uproar, rewind to Thomas’s meteoric – and divisive – rise. Born William Thomas, the 26-year-old dominated men’s collegiate swimming at UPenn before transitioning in 2019.
Post-transition, she shattered records in women’s events, winning the 2022 NCAA title by a commanding margin and tying for fifth in the 200-yard freestyle alongside Riley Gaines, who became a vocal critic.
Gaines, now a conservative activist, recounted the infamous locker room incident at the 2022 NCAA Championships: “We weren’t forewarned.
Standing there, sharing space – it was invasive, uncomfortable, and wrong.” Thomas’s victories sparked global protests, with female swimmers like Emma Weyant and Brooke Forde voicing concerns over lost opportunities and biological advantages retained from male puberty, such as greater lung capacity and muscle mass.
World Aquatics (formerly FINA) responded swiftly in June 2022 with a policy barring transgender women who transitioned after age 12 from elite women’s events, creating an “open” category instead. Thomas challenged this at CAS in 2024, losing on procedural grounds but vowing to fight.
Her latest maneuver? Petitioning to compete in men’s events for the 2028 cycle, citing “evolving identity” and hormone suppression data. But the male swimmers’ boycott threats flipped the script. “This isn’t transphobia; it’s biology and boundaries,” said Dressel in a Fox Sports interview Thursday.
“We’ve supported inclusion – open categories, youth transitions – but forcing this into men’s spaces? It’s chaos. Locker rooms are sacred; they’re where we reset, not where we question safety.”
The federation’s response was lightning-fast and unequivocal. In a bombshell press release Friday morning, World Aquatics announced a permanent ban on Thomas from all Olympic-eligible events, men’s or women’s, citing “irreconcilable integrity risks” and athlete welfare.
“The safety, privacy, and competitive equity of our athletes are paramount,” read the statement from President Husain Al-Musallam. “Ms. Thomas’s participation in any gendered category poses undue disruption, as evidenced by the overwhelming feedback from our male competitors.
Effective immediately, she is ineligible for World Aquatics-sanctioned competitions through 2032, including LA 2028.” The decision extends prior policies, incorporating chromosomal verification requirements and a zero-tolerance clause for “category misalignment.” An appeals window closes December 15, but insiders say it’s airtight, backed by IOC framework updates from July 2025 emphasizing sport-specific autonomy.
Male swimmers erupted in cheers. “Finally! Justice for the pool,” Murphy texted ESPN, while Haas hosted a jubilant TikTok live from training: “Team USA strong – no more distractions.
Let’s chase those golds.” Dressel, ever the leader, dedicated his next workout post to the moment: “For every guy who’s felt silenced. We spoke, they listened.
#CheerForChange.” On X, #WorldAquaticsWins trended alongside #RemoveHer, with over 1 million posts celebrating the “victory for real men in the water.” Even international voices joined: Australia’s Kyle Chalmers tweeted support, “Aussies stand with the Yanks – fair dinkum rules save the sport.”
Yet, this triumph isn’t without thorns.
LGBTQ+ advocates decried the ban as “draconian erasure,” with Athlete Ally’s Helen Carroll stating, “Banning Thomas from men’s events too? It’s a full shutdown, punishing her identity twice over.” GLAAD issued a scathing report Friday, highlighting a 300% spike in anti-trans harassment online since the boycott threats.
Thomas, silent thus far, is reportedly consulting lawyers for a federal suit, potentially invoking Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her team released a brief statement: “Lia remains committed to swimming as her authentic self. This fight is far from over.”
Broader implications ripple through aquatics. World Aquatics’ move could inspire similar crackdowns in track, cycling, and boxing, where transgender policies teeter on controversy. For the IOC, it’s a test of their 2021 framework’s flexibility – will LA 2028, with its SoCal spotlight, become a battleground? U.S.
Swimming, already under fire from Texas AG probes into masters events, may align fully by spring 2026. And the mental toll? Experts like Dr. Shannon Stark from USC warn of rising athlete burnout: “Boycotts breed division; bans breed resentment. We need dialogue, not decrees.”
As the echoes of “REMOVE HER” fade into cheers, one thing’s clear: Swimming’s tides have turned. Caeleb Dressel and his brethren didn’t just voice fears – they reshaped the sport. For male swimmers, it’s liberation; for Thomas, it’s exile; for fans, it’s a front-row seat to fairness redefined.
Will this ban hold, or spark a trans athlete renaissance in open divisions? Tune in as LA 2028 approaches – because in the pool of public opinion, every stroke counts.
