Anne Isabella Coombes isn’t just swimming laps — she’s swimming circles around transphobia. The 67-year-old veteran swimmer decided to dive back into competition in 2025 after decades in the sport, only to be greeted by a policy so convoluted it practically demanded a protest. And protest she did — by swimming topless to expose the absurdity of Swim England’s new anti-trans guidelines.
Coombes, who has swum competitively for over six decades, re-entered the water with a mission. In 2023, Swim England revised its rules to ban trans women from competing in the female category — instead dumping them into an ambiguous “open” category, a move Anne calls “illogical” and “dehumanizing.” Though previously approved to compete, Anne would now have to wear a “female” swimsuit while racing against men — a wardrobe requirement that didn’t just feel wrong, it threatened to out her publicly.
“If you’re a trans woman, you’ve got to wear a women’s costume, but compete with men. That illogicality is what I’m trying to use to point out the whole damn thing is stupid,” Anne said. And with that, she made a bold choice: wear men’s swim trunks and no top. The result? A protest that made headlines, challenged institutional prejudice, and left more than a few mouths agape at poolside.
Malicious Compliance, Meet Gender Politics
Anne wasn’t trying to shock — she was trying to survive in a sport that suddenly treated her as an outsider. By choosing to follow the rules to the letter but not their spirit, she highlighted the absurd logic behind them. “Apparently my nipples are now offensive,” she scoffed, mocking the regulation that mandated she wear a full women’s suit — effectively marking her as trans for all spectators and fellow competitors.
Being forced to either conform to this unfair labeling or leave the sport altogether wasn’t a choice Anne was willing to accept. “Everybody in the audience will look over and think, well clearly she must be transgender… That will out me on the spot and as far as I’m aware, you’re not allowed to go around doing that,” she said, her voice firm with both indignation and grace.
Swim England’s stance, Anne says, doesn’t just fail logic — it fails humanity. It frames inclusion as a threat rather than a goal and isolates those who dare to challenge binary definitions. “It just shows how ridiculous the whole damn thing is, to be honest,” she said, with a chuckle that masks the sting of institutional rejection.
Swimming While Trans — A Political Act
Anne’s protest isn’t just about a bathing suit; it’s about the creeping tide of anti-trans sentiment across the UK and beyond. “Goodness knows we need help at the moment. Things are going backwards with the Supreme Court ruling and what’s going on in the [US] which I worry will come over here.” For Anne, swimming has become more than a sport — it’s a stage. “Trans people have to raise their profile… What I’d really like to do is just melt in the background and be treated as a woman and carry on, but I can’t do that. I’ve got to stand up to be counted.”
And counted she has been. While Swim England might claim its policy ensures fairness, what it’s really doing is spotlighting a single 67-year-old woman who simply wants to swim. “That’s an awful lot of fuss for Swim England to go to just for me,” she quipped. “I’m flattered if that’s the case.”
But beneath the humor is heartbreak. No one should have to choose between their identity and their passion. For LGBTQ athletes, and especially for trans women, participation in sports has become yet another battlefield in the war for dignity and recognition. Anne’s protest is a reminder that the fight for trans inclusion isn’t theoretical — it’s happening in pools, on tracks, and in everyday lives.
And while Swim England may have tried to redraw the lanes, Anne Coombes is swimming in her own.