Fury as Michigan University's women's water polo club team allows trans athlete, 31, to compete in national championship

Outrage has spewed online after it was announced that a transgender athlete is set to compete with the University of Michigan's women's water polo club team in the national championship.

Alicia Paans, 31, is a trans graduate student and member of the Wolverines club water polo team - and she played for the team last year when they won the championship over the University of California-Santa Barbara.

The tournament will be held at Texas A&M from May 3 to May 5 and the women's Michigan team, who is the number one seed, has their first match scheduled against Texas State University at 9am on Friday.  

Paans, who also placed second in the 2022 women's Michigan Chess Association open, has sparked fury on social media over her participation. 

'All women should boycott. On all teams. You can't have women's sports without women,' said one X user.

Alicia Paans, 31, is a trans graduate student and member of the Wolverines club water polo team set to play with the team in the 2024 championship

Paans (circled) played for the team last year when they won the championship over the University of California-Santa Barbara

Paans has sparked fury on social media over her participation on the women's team and her age

'Hope the girls walk out,' said Greg Sewell.

'Men's and Women's sports need to be defined by the Chromosomes/DNA and not by one's preferred gender identity/expression,' said another X user.

Others criticized Paans involvement in college sports over her age. 

'It is a club team, but that doesn’t matter. How sad a 31 yr old plays on a club team with traditional college aged kids. Weird,' said an X user named Mel.

Darrell Rude said, '31 and still in college?'

'Why are 31 year-olds in college,' said Fenchurch Goldfish. 

Paans was recorded to have scored goals in a 17 to 5 defeat against the University of Virginia and in a 17 to 6 defeat against the University of Washington during the 2023 championships.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Paans has experience volunteering for a crisis hotline that 'specialized in topics relating to female health and pregnancy.'

The Collegiate Water Polo Association allows transgender athletes who identify as female to compete in the women's league or the co-ed league.

In order to participate, they must submit a letter of confirmation and medical validation.

Medical validation can be either demonstrating that their total testosterone level in serum is below 10 nmol/L within 60 days prior to their first competition or a written letter from their physician.

The association's policy is that transgender athletes who identify as male may participate in the co-ed league, which is referred to as the men's league.

Debate over transgender involvement in sports continues to sweep the nation. In West Virginia, five middle school students were banned from future shot put competitions after they refused to participate against a transgender athlete.

Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13, competed in the Harris County Middle School Track and Field Championship on April 18, two days after a federal appeals court ruled West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the teen's right under Title IX.

Five girls from Lincoln Middle School stepped up to the circle for their turn, then refused to throw the ball.

Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels said that 'data irrefutably shows' males are stronger and faster.

The well-known health expert, who first made a name for herself as a fierce fitness coach on the popular reality show 'The Biggest Loser', said that the desire for 'inclusion' and the desire for 'fair competition' are at variance with one another. 

Paans, who also placed second in the 2022 women's Michigan Chess Association open, has sparked fury on social media over her participation

Michaels explained that 'if your overriding priority is going to be fairness over inclusion, you've got to turn to the data'.

She said: 'The data irrefutably shows that biological males are 10 to 30 percent stronger, faster, have better endurance, better aerobic capacity across the board.'

The fitness coach, who is also a certified nutritionist, told the hosts of Fox & Friends that when it comes to the issue of fairness, it's important to consult the science.

'If we defer to the studies...they show that even on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, the decrease in physical performance is, quote, trivial. That's what the data says.'

Michaels then proceeded to cite an example of how puberty blockers and cross-sex hormonal therapy do little to alleviate the physical advantage transgender athletes have.

She explained the comparative grip strengths of 'a biological male transgender female' and a 'biological female transgender male.'