The Trans Swimmer Who Won Too Much

Plus: how Putin’s oligarchs bought London; Zelensky invokes 9/11 as he pleads for aid; and examining the exercise industry. View in browser | Update your preferences Thursday, March 17, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • How Putin’s oligarchs bought London • Zelensky invokes 9/11 as he pleads for aid • Exercise is good for you. But what about the exercise industry? The Trans Swimmer Who Won Too Much Lia Thomas is not the first trans swimmer in the N.C.A.A., but her victories have put her at the center of a debate about trans athletes. Photograph by Hunter Martin / Getty “Is it ethical to require medical interventions of healthy people who wish to compete in women’s sports? What basic rights apply to athletics?” In a gripping piece, Louisa Thomas outlines the fierce debate about transgender participation in élite sports—and considers the fixation around Lia Thomas, a swimmer in her early twenties who competes for the University of Pennsylvania. Against a political backdrop in which hundreds of bills have been introduced to restrict transgender people’s access to sports and health care, “the argument about Lia Thomas . . . is also an argument about whether there are, finally, defining lines, and who gets to set them.” The N.C.A.A. Championships began yesterday and continue through Saturday, and the arguments around Thomas’s participation have been heated. This past December, a group of parents of Penn swimmers anonymously sent a letter to the N.C.A.A., arguing that Thomas should not be allowed to compete. And, in February, a letter released on behalf of sixteen unnamed Penn swimmers—almost half the team—urged the school not to fight for Thomas’s ability to participate if more restrictive rules were adopted by the N.C.A.A. In the end, the N.C.A.A. chose not to change its policies midseason, allowing Thomas to participate, but, going forward, the goals of the evolving rules that define transgender participation seem clear. As Thomas writes, “They will be allowed to swim, but, in most cases, not to win.” —Jessie Li, newsletter editor Read the story From the News Desk Books How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London From banking to boarding schools, the British establishment has long been at their service, discretion guaranteed. By Patrick Radden Keefe Daily Comment Zelensky Invokes Pearl Harbor and 9/11 as He Pleads for More from Washington The U.S. sent more than a billion dollars in aid in the past week. But Biden has refused Ukraine’s two biggest requests. By Robin Wright Our Columnists Jerome Powell’s Double Message on Inflation The Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2018, but its chair insists the move won’t deliver a serious hit to the wider economy. By John Cassidy Get the in-depth analysis and on-the-ground reporting you need to understand the war in Ukraine. Subscribe today » Editor’s Pick Books Exercise Is Good for You. The Exercise Industry May Not Be Amid the marketing of unattainable physical ideals, it’s easy to forget what made fitness fun. By Margaret Talbot Culture Dept. Under Review The Birth of the American Foreign Correspondent For American journalists abroad in the interwar period, it paid to have enthusiasm, openness, and curiosity, but not necessarily a world view. By Krithika Varagur Listening Booth WurlD’s Understated Global Sound Sashaying Afrobeats rhythms meet cruising, mellow balladry on the Nigerian singer’s new album. By Sheldon Pearce Paris Postcard Translating the French Election for the Freedom-Fry Audience Gilles Paris references “Emily in Paris” and considers Maureen Dowd an inspiration for his daily dispatches in Le Monde’s first-ever English-language column. By Lauren Collins Video Dept. Screening Room An Illustrated Family of Obsessives In the animated short “Affairs of the Art,” an idiosyncratic character explores the nature of compulsion. This is one of two New Yorker films that will compete at the Academy Awards on March 27th. Film by Joanna Quinn and Les Mills Text by Coralie Kraft Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Cartoon Thursday, March 17th By Matt Reuter Daily Shouts How to Resolve Conflicts with Your Crypto Landlord What do you do when your crypto landlord thinks that he owns Mars and rides a Martian unicorn named Gucci Ghost? By Devorah Blachor Daily Shouts Other Things They Should Make Green for St. Patrick’s Day Besides Beer The Simpsons, the Smurfs, my lawn, etc. By Jason Adam Katzenstein and Colin Stokes P.S. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, or, for many of us, officially, just Thursday. Only Ireland, Northern Ireland, some parts of Canada, and the Caribbean island of Montserrat recognize the day as a public holiday. In Montserrat, a British territory, a ten-day festival honors a slave rebellion that occurred on St. Patrick’s Day in 1768, and residents are careful to maintain their own traditions. In the early nineteen-nineties, leprechauns were added to the annual parade, raising objections from many locals. “We must be careful what model we establish for the celebration,” the historian Howard Fergus wrote. “It should not develop into an Irish parade of the type that occurs in American cities.” Today’s newsletter was written by Jessie Li. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.