After the U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) organization sought assistance in handling its public relations following a scandal involving a transgender swimmer swimming in women’s events, three female athletes are coming out against the organization.
In response to a lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, USMS, a competitive swim club with more than 60,000 adult members, sent out an email on Tuesday requesting members’ help in defending its name.
A transgender swimmer won five races in the women’s division at an event in San Antonio in late April, which is the basis for the lawsuit.
USMS urged swimmers to participate in a fresh outreach initiative in the email:
The statement said, “As part of our recently launched #SwimsuitsNotLawsuits campaign, we need your help setting the record straight.”
Members were urged to report accurate facts whenever they come across or hear false remarks in their communities, on social media, or at the pool. The email went on, “Tell people what’s great about our organization.”
Additionally, it dismissed some of the worries as mere gossip.
According to the email, the situation started with reports regarding one member’s performance at our Spring Nationals in April in San Antonio. Online rumors concerning this swimmer’s eligibility were stoked by an outside group, prompting member protests and a Texas attorney general’s probe.
The gender eligibility criteria of USMS was revised in June, imposing restrictions on the kinds of recognition that biological males can obtain at women’s events. The rule still allows them to compete with female swimmers, though.
The USMS message was deemed offensive by veteran competitor Wendy Enderle, who competed against the transgender swimmer in April and previously told Fox News Digital that she was unaware of the athlete’s biological sex.
According to Enderle, the email from USMS offends all USMS members who support equity in women’s sports as well as the women who unintentionally competed against men.
She went on, Considering that U.S. Masters Swimming has not yet responded to the eligibility review requests that were submitted three months ago, it also gives me the impression that my concerns have been disregarded and that they are attempting to hide this through a public relations campaign.
Enderle went on to say, I train really hard to be among the best swimmers in the world in my age group, therefore it hurts and depresses me that they don’t seem to care about my efforts or my swimming achievements. The tone-deaf communication that USMS sent to its members has greatly disappointed me.
Enderle claimed that despite formally requesting an eligibility check for the transgender swimmer, she never heard back.
Angie Griffin, a fellow swimmer, also chastised USMS for failing to address eligibility issues and for continuing to uphold a rule that permits men to compete in women’s events.
According to Griffin, USMS is requesting that members publicly support the group through a public relations campaign, all the while ignoring the women who were directly impacted.
It was an error that has yet to be recognized, she continued, to put the sentiments of one athlete ahead of the rights of numerous others to fair competition. All we’re asking for is an answer. We who took the time to submit official protests are deserving of consideration. Rebuilding trust would be greatly aided by a straightforward response.
Griffin stressed that true accountability entails acknowledging previous harm rather than changing the past or assigning blame, even if she noted that USMS’s policy update was a positive beginning.
“It feels premature and unfair to ask us to be the public voice defending the organization until that happens,” she added.
After receiving the email from the USMS, Cissy Cochran, another swimmer, told Fox News Digital that she no longer intends to compete in USMS events.
To assist dispel any misunderstandings, USMS has now sent out an email requesting that all members take part in a public relations campaign, according to Cochran. They put the interim transgender policy front and center once more, giving the impression that they have cleaned up their act. However, we have not heard anything regarding the eligibility request we made during the first week of May 2025. Perhaps admitting wrongdoing in April should have been the first step.
“It speaks volumes about the leadership of USMS that they will not even acknowledge our formal complaints,” Cochran continued. I will not be attending any USMS events, and I appreciate the assistance of the attorneys general of Florida and Texas in our efforts to preserve women’s sports.
A USMS representative told Fox News Digital that the athlete’s eligibility review procedure is still in progress when contacted for comment.
One swimmer’s eligibility is still being reviewed by USMS. We anticipate receiving a ruling shortly and are proceeding through our process fairly and thoughtfully. According to the spokeswoman, when that procedure is over, the members who filed protests would be the first to know.
The spokeswoman also addressed the criticism from female athletes, saying:
Our members’ messages were unrelated to the eligibility evaluation procedure. In order to rectify false public statements about USMS and make clear what we do, we started the Swimsuits Not Lawsuits campaign. Our goal is to use swimming to enable adults to live better lives.
The campaign’s goal, the representative said in closing, was to lessen the need for expensive legal defense:
The response from our members so far has been encouraging, and we think that asking for their assistance in clearing up misconceptions is a suitable strategy to reduce the amount of money spent on legal action so that it can be used for its primary purpose of supporting our 60,000 members.
Ana Caldas, 47, the athlete at the center of the dispute, won gold in each of the five events the swimmer participated in at the April meet. In the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle, and 100-yard individual medley, Caldas dominated the women’s 45–49 age category.
