The University of Pennsylvania has backed down to Donald Trump’s Department of Education by agreeing to resolve Title IX violations over transgender former Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas.
The Department of Education made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. Penn will now adopt strict definitions for male and female competitors under White House guidelines and erase Thomas from the school’s history books. Furthermore, the school will restore records to swimmers impacted by Thomas’ inclusion in women’s NCAA competitions and issue an apology to those parties.
The Ivy League institution’s decision comes after the Trump administration suspended $175 million in federal funding to Penn – money that had been earmarked and funded by the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Thomas won a national title as a woman in the 500 free while tying for fifth in the 200 free at the 2022 NCAA Finals with Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who has since become the face of the movement to ban trans athletes from female sports.
The NCAA previously allowed each sports to govern transgender inclusion, generally deferring to national governing bodies or International Olympic criteria. It was under that structure that Thomas was allowed to compete despite originally swimming as a man before receiving hormone replace therapy. She returned as a woman in 2021 after meeting the NCAA’s hormone requirements at the time.
Since then, the NCAA has changed its policy to conform with Trump’s February 5 executive order aiming to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports.
Transgender woman Lia Thomas (L) of the University of Pennsylvania stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists in March of 2022
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas reacts after winning the 500 Freestyle finals during the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 17th, 2022 in Atlanta
Thomas won a national title as a woman in the 500 free while tying for fifth in the 200 free at the 2022 NCAA Finals with Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines (pictured)
The NCAA changed its policy the day after Trump signed an executive order on February 5 that was intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports.
Thomas was banned from competing in elite women’s races ahead of the Olympics by The Court of Arbitration for Sport panel, which ruled that she was ineligible to challenge World Aquatics policy on trans athletes.
