ESPN's Sam Ponder Strongly Backs Paula Scanlan, Ex-Teammate of Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas, After Emotional Testimony

Sam Ponder is stepping up to promote female athletes' real stories of trauma caused by including transgender athletes.

Critics label the ESPN NFL analyst "bigoted" for speaking against her company's overreaching progressive politics.

Ponder promotes "fairness in women's sports" by calling for excluding men in women's athletics.

She continues to speak her mind freely.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 2: Samantha Ponder of ESPN prepares to go onstage at the espnW Summit held at Resort at Pelican Hill on October 2, 2018 in Newport Beach, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

On Thursday, hours after a former teammate of trans swimmer Lia Thomas, Paula Scanlan, shared her emotional testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee, Ponder posted an encouraging message for the sexual assault survivor.

Ponder tweeted, "Paula you are so brave and your voice is so important," sharing the video of Scanlan's testimony.

WATCH:

Scanlan shared her testimony of sharing a locker room with Lia Thomas — a man — as a sexual assault survivor. Scanlan felt the discomfort of seeing a man in the locker room and as well as being observed by Thomas in a private space.

READ: PAULA SCANLAN SHARES POWERFUL TESTIMONY ABOUT SURVIVING SEXUAL ASSAULT

In her passionate speech, Scanlan shared that she was abused at 16. She noted that women on the swim team complained to UPenn's athletic department concerning Thomas but were told the trans athlete's addition to the team was "non-negotiable."

"My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a 6-foot-4 biological male, fully intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week," Scanlan said before the House.

"Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls and others used the family bathroom to avoid this. When we tried to voice our concerns to the athletic department, we were told that Lia swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable and were offered psychological services to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male."

In recent years, countless stories of competitive advantages and emotional damage inflicted by trans-female athletes have dominated the conversation around women's sports.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines has been a prominent voice supporting fairness in women's athletics.

While ESPN promotes the inclusion of transgender athletes and labels it "equality," women like Ponder, Gaines and Scanlan promote the real-life experiences of the adverse effects of letting biological men compete against women.

The negative effects of trans inclusion become more real to the public with every testimony.

By sharing their stories, these women are hoping for a change.