A 31-year-old transgender athlete will compete in the women’s water polo tournament for the second year in a row, drawing the ire of her opponents.
Alicia Parnes, a graduate student on the University of Michigan women’s club water polo team, will compete in the 2024 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championships at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, starting Friday.
Parnes was a member of the 2023 Wolverines National Champions team that defeated UC Santa Barbara 8-6 in the final.
Purns scored multiple times in the school’s two games en route to the championship, defeating Virginia 17-5 and Washington 17-6.
In January, the Collegiate Water Polo Association announced a policy and appeals process to allow transgender athletes to compete in competitions of their preferred gender.
“The Collegiate Water Polo Association is committed to fostering an inclusive and fair sporting environment for all who wish to participate.” says the policy. “This policy provides guidelines for the participation of transgender athletes at the collegiate club level and is intended to ensure fairness, respect, and equal opportunity for all.”
The league allows “transgender players who identify as female” to compete in women’s leagues and co-ed leagues as long as two requirements are met.
Athletes must submit written confirmation confirming their gender identity and medical verification including a testosterone level “less than 10 nmol/L within 60 days of first competition” or written confirmation from a medical doctor need to do it.
Perns, who is originally from the Netherlands, first came to the United States in 2017 to intern at the social sports club Volo San Diego, according to the women’s and child protection website Reduxx.
She began working toward a social work degree in Ann Arbor in 2023.
Outside of water polo, Parnes was runner-up in the Women’s Open at the 2022 Michigan Chess Association Championships, according to the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).
Parents of Michigan’s opponents told Icons that Parnes uses the women’s locker room for games, Reduxx confirmed.
“My husband and I saw [Paans] First, stand by the pool [University of Michigan’s] first game. “We looked at each other in surprise and immediately realized it was a man,” one mother told the site. “During the tournament, I kept a close eye on Alicia, partly out of respect for the ladies, but also wondering how she was doing. [her] Teammates acted around them. [her]”
Some people have taken to social media to express their anger after Perns is scheduled to participate in this week’s tournament.
“Aside from perhaps basketball, water polo may have the most dramatic differences in ability and performance between men and women. I played H2O polo, and the (difference) between men and women is ) is unbelievable,” wrote one X user. “It starts with a huge hand size advantage, but you also need lower body strength to get out of the water and upper body strength to rip shots. It also makes a big difference in acceleration.”
Some complained about the age difference between Mr. Pans and the university student.
“31 years old and still a college student?” one user wrote on X.
“Why is a 31 year old (years old) a university student?” Another added.
University of Michigan Women’s Club Water Polo opens its 2024 tournament on Friday against Texas Tech University.
Earlier this week, five West Virginia middle school students who protested the inclusion of transgender athletes in track and field were banned from participating in future competitions.
Students at Lincoln Middle School took their turn in the circle before refusing to compete, and Becky Pepper Jackson, a 13-year-old girl receiving puberty-blocking drugs and estrogen hormone therapy, won first place.
with post wire
