Trans Woman Forced To Compete Against Men Swims Topless In Protest

June 19, 2025 Kayley Cassidy

Anne Isabella Coombes swam in a men’s bathing suit to protest Swim England’s policy changes.

Anne Isabella Coombes took a stand against Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England, by staging her own silent protest against its updated transgender and nonbinary competition policy.

The 67-year-old Reading-based trans woman has swum for the town’s local club for the past 30 years. After transitioning in 2020, she applied to compete as a female in 2022. Following a lengthy process compiling details and reports, several officials decided she could compete in the women’s division in 2023, she told the Reading Chronicle

But in September of 2023, Coombes was notified by Swim England that new policies had been enacted, and she was no longer eligible to compete in the female category. The new policy says, “Swim England’s updated transgender and non-binary competition policy has inclusion and fairness at its very heart. In order for all aquatic disciplines to be enjoyed as a sport, there must be inclusive opportunities for transgender participants to compete. However, it is widely recognised that fairness of competition must be protected and Swim England believes the creation of open and female categories is the best way to achieve this.”

Coombes decided not to compete in any swim competitions until just recently, following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that transgender women do not fall under the legal definition of “women” in its context of equality legislation.

When she returned to the water this year, she protested the new policies by wearing a men’s swimsuit, leaving her topless. She has been told by Swim England that if she continues to wear men’s swimsuits while competing, it is up to the referee to disqualify her.

“They confirmed that I need to wear a female swimming costume despite having to compete with the men, which ‘outs’ me as a woman who is transgender,” Coombes told the Reading Chronicle. “I explained to the person on the phone that they are not allowed to do that, and he didn’t have an answer.”

Coombes explained that this act was meant to show how the policy targets and attacks transgender people.

“Most trans people just want to get on with their lives and be treated as the gender they are,” she said. “But unfortunately, given what the Supreme Court has done, we need to stand up and say ‘I’m trans, I exist, and you’re not going to silence me.’ Existence is resistance.”