Three female athletes in the U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) organization are speaking out against the group after it sought help managing public relations in the wake of controversy involving a transgender athlete competing in women’s events.
USMS—a competitive swim organization with over 60,000 adult members—sent an email on Tuesday asking members to assist in defending its reputation, following a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The legal action stems from an event held in San Antonio in late April, during which a transgender swimmer won five races in the women’s category.
In the email, USMS encouraged swimmers to join a new outreach effort:
“We need your help setting the record straight as part of our newly launched #SwimsuitsNotLawsuits campaign,” the message read.
Members were asked to “share correct information when you see or hear inaccurate statements,” whether on social media, at the pool, or in their communities. “Let others know what’s great about our organization,” the email continued.
It also downplayed some of the concerns as “rumors.”
“This situation began with rumors about one member’s performance at our Spring Nationals in April in San Antonio,” the email stated. “An external organization fueled online speculation about this swimmer’s eligibility, which led to protests from fellow members and an investigation by the Attorney General in Texas.”
In June, USMS updated its gender eligibility policy, placing limits on the types of recognition biological males can receive in women’s events. However, the policy still permits them to compete alongside female swimmers.
Wendy Enderle, a seasoned competitor who raced against the transgender swimmer in April and previously told Fox News Digital she wasn’t informed of the athlete’s biological sex, described the USMS message as “an insult.”
“I think the email from USMS is insulting to the women who unknowingly competed against men and to all the members of USMS who support fairness in women’s sports, and it p—es me off,” Enderle said.
She continued, “It also makes me feel like my concerns have been dismissed and that U.S. Masters Swimming is trying to sweep this under the rug with a PR campaign, especially given the fact that they have yet to respond to the eligibility review requests submitted three months ago.”
Enderle added, “It makes me feel hurt and sad because I train very hard to be one of the top swimmers in the world in my age group, and, like, my hard work and accomplishments in the pool don’t matter to them. I am very disappointed in USMS for sending out this tone-deaf email to its members.”
Enderle said she filed a formal eligibility review request regarding the trans swimmer but never received a response.
Fellow swimmer Angie Griffin also criticized USMS for maintaining a policy that still allows males to compete in women’s races and for not replying to eligibility concerns.
“USMS is asking members to publicly support the organization through a PR campaign, while continuing to ignore the women who were directly affected,” Griffin said.
She added, “Placing the feelings of one athlete above the rights of many to fair competition was a mistake, and it still hasn’t been acknowledged. We’re not asking for much, just a response. Those of us who took the time to file formal protests deserve to be taken seriously. A simple answer would go a long way toward rebuilding trust.”
While Griffin acknowledged that USMS updating its policy was “a step in the right direction,” she emphasized that “real accountability means recognizing past harm — not rewriting history or shifting blame.”
“Until that happens, asking us to be the public voice defending the organization feels premature and unfair,” she said.
Another swimmer, Cissy Cochran, told Fox News Digital she no longer plans to participate in USMS competitions after receiving the organization’s email.
“USMS has now sent out an email asking all the members to participate in a PR campaign to help clear up any misconceptions,” Cochran said. “They again place the Interim transgender policy at the forefront, making it look like they have cleaned up their act when, in fact, we have received no word on the eligibility request we submitted the first week of May 2025. Maybe a first step should have been acknowledging the wrong that took place in April.”
Cochran added, “USMS refusing to acknowledge or even respond to our formal complaints speaks volumes about the leadership. I refuse to participate in any USMS events and welcome all the help from the Texas and Florida attorney general in our fight to save women’s sports.”
When reached for comment, a USMS spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the eligibility review process for the athlete is “ongoing.”
“USMS’s eligibility review process for one swimmer is still ongoing. We are navigating our process in a fair and deliberate manner and expect to have a decision soon. The members who submitted protests will be the first to know when that process is complete,” the spokesperson said.
Addressing the backlash from female athletes, the spokesperson added:
“The messaging we sent to our members had nothing to do with the eligibility review process. We launched our Swimsuits Not Lawsuits campaign to correct misleading public statements about USMS and clarify what we do. Our mission is to empower adults to improve their lives through swimming.”
The spokesperson concluded by saying that the campaign aimed to reduce the need for costly legal defense:
“We believe asking for our members’ help correcting misperceptions is an appropriate way to limit resources spent on legal action so it can be used for its intended purpose of serving our 60,000 members, and the response from our members thus far has been positive.”
The athlete at the center of the controversy, 47-year-old Ana Caldas, took gold in all five events in which the swimmer competed during April’s meet. Caldas dominated the women’s 45-49 age group in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle, and the 100-yard individual medley.
