As Gov. DeSantis Applauds Champion Female Sarasota Swimmer, Major Florida Newspaper Throws Shade On Her, Suggesting She Is A “Female”   

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said it was appropriate to honor Sarasota swimmer Emma Weyant as the true winner of the women’s 500-yard freestyle race at the NCAA swimming championships last week.

Weyant, of the University of Virginia, placed second behind Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania, a transgender woman who has been torching the record book while competing against biological women.

Speaking about the controversy, DeSantis, as The Free Press reported, said Weyant has been “an absolute superstar her whole career.

“She’s been an absolute superstar and she had the fastest time of any woman in college athletics. Now the NCAA is basically taking efforts to destroy women’s athletics. They’re trying to undermine the integrity of the competition and they’re crowning somebody else, the woman’s champion and we think that’s wrong. And so this is a Floridian who I think deserves to be recognized,” the governor added.

“We’re doing a proclamation, saying that Emma is the best female swimmer in the 500 [yard] freestyle because she earned that and we need to stop allowing organizations like the NCAA to perpetuate frauds on the public,” said DeSantis. “And that’s exactly what they’re doing. They are putting ideology ahead of opportunity for women athletes.”

The Orlando Sentinel reported on DeSantis’ comments and while they were sure someone involved was not quite a woman, it wasn’t Thomas.

“DeSantis waded further into gender politics today, issuing a proclamation that said a swimmer from Sarasota is the nation’s best ‘female’ in the 500-meter freestyle after she finished 2nd to a transgender athlete at the NCAA championship,” the Sentinel tweeted.

Yes, in referring to Weyant, the Sentinel put “female” in quotes. For its trouble, as documented by Twitchy.com, the Sentinel was lit up by conservatives.

Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’ spokeswoman, led the charge.

“Uh, why is ‘female’ in quotes here? Emma is female; it is an undisputed fact. Florida media is truly going off the deep end this week,” she tweeted.

In response to Pushaw, one Twitter user noted, “I’d put the ‘competition’ in quotes before ‘female.’”

Another added, “An actual female is questionable and a pretend female is legit. It’s an upside down world.”

One commenter tweeted, “Stop being sexist, @OrlandoSentinel.”  Observed one more: “The media sucks.”

Twitchy.com itself chimed in, “It would be considered hate speech if you referred to Lia Thomas as ‘female.’”

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