Topline
The University of Pennsylvania came to an agreement with the Trump administration Tuesday that will strip transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of her titles and recognitions and ban trans athletes from women’s sports after the administration alleged the school violated Title IX provisions.
Lia Thomas looks on from the podium after finishing fifth in the 200 Yard Freestyle during the 2022 … More NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology on March 18, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Key Facts
The university agreed to apologize for violations to Title IX, a civil rights law barring sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
The University of Pennsylvania will restore titles, records or recognitions “misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories,” according to the agreement, which was announced by the Department of Education Tuesday.
The agreement also says the university must issue a public statement in a prominent location on its main website specifying it will “not allow males to compete in female athletic programs or occupy Penn Athletics female intimate facilities.”
Riley Gaines, an outspoken critic of trans athletes who tied with Thomas for fifth place in a freestyle event at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, was quoted in the Education Department’s press release saying she hopes the agreement “demonstrates to educational institutions that they will no longer be allowed to trample upon women’s civil rights.”
University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement the school was in compliance with Title IX and NCAA eligibility rules as Thomas participated in the 2021-2022 swim season, when former President Joe Biden was in office and unsuccessfully attempted to establish further protections for trans athletes.
The university will also be required to send personalized apology letters to impacted female swimmers.
Forbes has reached out to Thomas for comment.
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What Did Lia Thomas Win In College?
In addition to winning the 500-yard freestyle championship in the NCAA’s Division I swim championships, she also won 2022 Ivy League women’s titles in the 100, 200 and 500-yard freestyle events.
What Has Thomas Said About Trans Athlete Bans?
Thomas, who once sought to compete in the Olympics, argued in a lawsuit challenging World Aquatics’ competitive ban against transgender women that the rule was unlawful and discriminatory. The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied Thomas’ request for arbitration with World Aquatics, provoking a response from Thomas, who said, “Blanket bans preventing trans women from competing are discriminatory and deprive us of valuable athletic opportunities that are central to our identities,” according to NBC News.
Key Background
President Donald Trump banned trans athletes from participating in women’s sports at public schools with an executive order signed in February, threatening to remove federal funding from schools if they didn’t comply. Not long after the order was issued, the NCAA barred trans athletes from women’s competitions. Student-athletes assigned male at birth can continue practicing with women’s teams and receive medical care, according to the NCAA rule change. NCAA president Charlie Baker told a Senate committee a few months before the changes that fewer than 10 of the NCAA’s 530,000 student athletes were transgender.
Further Reading
Simone Biles Tells Riley Gaines She’s ‘Sick’ In Spat Over Trans Softball Champion (Forbes)
