For an institution of higher learning and a university that champions itself as a beacon of equality and women’s rights, the University of Pennsylvania oppresses its female student-athletes.

The swimmer formerly known as William Thomas caused quite the national stir recently when it was discovered the former male swim team member is now racing on the women’s team, taking a spot that rightfully belongs to a biological female. Thomas is now shattering “women's” records.

As a Penn alum, I am deeply embarrassed by my former school and its oppression of and denial of opportunities for female athletes.

William Thomas now goes by Lia Thomas. But neither William nor Lia is female. This is not an opinion — it is biology and anatomy.

It is irrelevant which first name or gender Thomas wants to identify with — Thomas was born a biological male and has a Y chromosome. Thomas has every strength advantage that males have over females on aggregate. Thomas was a member of the men's swim team until very recently.

I ask the wokest of the woke, the most progressive of the progressive: How is it legitimately fair for a male to race as a female?

The answer? It just isn't.

For all their talk of "equity," the woke turn a blind eye to females in this context. They are destroying women's sports by letting women be at a biological disadvantage and unable to compete realistically with a top-flight male swimmer.

I sat next to then-William in one of my classes in 2018. I can’t say that I knew him well, but he seemed like a genuinely nice person. I will not even begin to guess what it must be like being a male and thinking you should be a female. I am sure it is immensely emotionally challenging, filled with great mental anguish. Thomas has my sincerest empathy in this matter. I doubt Thomas wants all this media attention, and I consider it a personal decision whether Thomas wants to live as a female.

But biological males should not be allowed to race as females and take opportunities away from women. As much as I empathize with Thomas for the mental and emotional struggles, I empathize with the female swimmers more. Thomas was a second-team All-Ivy League swimmer in 2018-2019. Yet this sick, twisted, maniacal philosophy would allow men to dominate women's sports simply by identifying as a different gender. Sorry, but the emperor is wearing no clothes — it is offensive and insulting this is being allowed to occur.

Thomas is now climbing the all-time rankings in women's swimming. Any guesses as to why?

Thomas set a new Ivy League “female” record in the 500-meter freestyle on Friday, Outkick reported. Thomas also "swam the fastest time in the country in two of the three races" at the Zippy Invitational this weekend — or at least, a faster time than any woman.

According to Swimming World Magazine, Thomas now has the 17th-fastest 200-meter freestyle time in history — compared to women. In the 500 meters, Thomas has the 21st best time in history, again compared to female swimmers. Thomas's times are coming dangerously close to 2012 U.S. Olympic female team member Missy Franklin and also approaching the times of iconic U.S. female swimmer Katie Ledecky.

I have two sisters and two nieces. I should not have to be concerned their future will be jeopardized by being forced to compete with men suffering from gender dysphoria.

No mother or father should have to worry about daughters losing opportunities because of transgenderism's radical hatred of women. This amounts to the oppression of females in the name of a nonsensical transgender ideology that says being a woman is not a real, substantial thing but rather just a matter of "identifying" and affecting sufficient effeminacy — something anyone can do, even a person who is biologically and anatomically male.

The female athletes at the University of Pennsylvania do not deserve to suffer so that toxic transgenderism can achieve this triumph over common sense.