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