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Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club was one of two professional sports teams to sponsor Rainbow Lab’s Violet Visionary Awards Thursday night.
The awards ceremony honored former UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas with the “Voice of Inspiration” award, given to “an individual whose story and actions inspire hope and courage within the LGBTQ+ community.”
Thomas, a transgender woman, won a women’s national title in 2022, which became the catalyst for the national debate over transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
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University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas accepts the winning trophy in the 500 Freestyle final during the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships March 17, 2022, at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thomas gave a speech at the event, also sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Neither the Dodgers nor LAFC responded to emails from PK Press Club Digital regarding their thoughts on Thomas receiving the award.
However, a spokesperson for the football club spoke at the event, which OutKick attended, as Daisy Chavez showed her support for the LGBTQ community.
“We are a community of queer fans, local leaders, supporters and activists of the Los Angeles Football Club. And if you don’t know, we follow sports because we’ve always been here,” Chavez said. “We have been athletes, we have been fans, we have been lovers of sports.
Thomas, 26, accepted the “Voice of Inspiration Award” at the 2025 Violet Visionary Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. (Alejandro Avila/OutKick)
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“And so our presence in this club reminds not only the club, the community, but the world that we have always been here. And so we applaud, full of joy and love for our local community, but we also represent our queer people, and we are so proud to be here every step of the way.”
Riley Gaines, who competed against Thomas and tied the former UPenn swimmer at the national tournament, was not happy with Thomas receiving the award.
“Voices of inspiration? The only people Will Thomas inspires are other men who have realized that you can take everything from women – our records, our spaces, our opportunities – and still get a standing ovation,” Gaines told OutKick, using Thomas’ birth name. “It’s 2025, not 2020. We’re done pretending this is courage.”
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 freestyle final at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships March 18, 2022, at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Twenty-nine states have regulations regarding trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning trans athletes from competing against women in February.
