A trans-identifying male athlete sparked backlash after he was scheduled to compete in a women’s water polo championship for a second time.
Alicia, formerly Johnny, Paans, 31, a graduate student at the University of Michigan and member of the women’s water polo team, is set to compete starting Friday in this year’s Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at Texas A&M.
Last year, Paans was playing on the women’s team when they beat University of California Santa Barbara 8-6 in the championship game.
He scored several goals in the two games leading up to the championship game. Both games were blowout wins for Michigan.
The women’s water polo team recently promoted Paans as “player of the week” on their Instagram page.
Paans also reportedly uses the women’s locker rooms, according to the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), which cited parents of Paans’…
