The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports and strip the record of former swimmer Lia Thomas as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.
Penn entered the resolution agreement Tuesday, July 1 to comply with Title IX, the DOE announced, as the university had been under investigation surrounding the case of Thomas, who became the first openly transgender athlete to win a NCAA Division I title.
Under the agreement, Penn will restore the swimming records and titles of its female athletes that were broken by Thomas. The university will also not allow transgender athletes to compete in female athletic programs, and it has to send personal apology letters to impacted swimmers.
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Lia Thomas records
Thomas competed for one year as a women’s swimmer for Penn after three seasons competing on the men’s team.
She holds Penn women’s swimming records in the 100 free (47.37), 200 free (1:41.93), 500 free (4:33.24), 1,000 free (9:35.96) and 1,650 free (15:59.71).
Thomas won her NCAA title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event in 2022. She also tied for fifth in the women’s 200-yard freestyle and was eighth in the 100-yard freestyle that year.
The NCAA did not respond to a request for comment after the announcement of the Penn resolution.
Reaction to Penn’s decision on transgender athletes
The decision comes as the Trump Administration has focused on banning transgender athletes from competing girl’s sports. In May, President Donald Trump had promised ‘large scale fines’ on California after a transgender athlete was allowed to compete and won two medals in the track and field state championship.
‘Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights’ opened a Title IX investigation into Penn on Feb. 6 − a month into Trump’s presidency − surrounding Thomas. Title IX is a law passed in 1972 that forbids sex discrimination in at any academic institution that receives federal funding.
On April 28, the office concluded the university violated Title IX and issued a resolution agreement proposal, or it would either refer the case to the Justice Department or begin another process to cut the school’s federal funding. In March, the White House cut $175 million in federal funds for Penn related to the issue.
The university said in a statement it will comply with Executive Order 14168, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. University president J. Larry Jameson said it is a ‘complex issue’ and he was pleased to reach the agreement for the investigation.
‘Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,’ Jameson said in the statement. ‘At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.’
Jameson added the university has ‘always followed – and continues to follow’ Title IX, as well as following NCAA and Ivy League policies. Penn will begin the process to review and update the women’s swimming records set during Thomas’ season on the team ‘to indicate who would now hold the records under current eligibility guidelines.’
