The University of Pennsylvania has formally agreed to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports and has expunged records previously set by swimmer Lia Thomas, following a federal civil rights investigation and mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
According to Al-Jazeera the agreement between UPenn and the U.S. Department of Education aims to settle a Title IX complaint regarding Thomas’s participation in women’s competitions.
Thomas, a transgender woman, had made history in 2022 by winning an NCAA Division I championship and setting multiple school records in women’s swimming.
“Some student-athletes faced competitive disadvantages due to the NCAA rules in place at the time,” UPenn President Larry Jameson acknowledged in a statement.
“We regret any stress or disadvantage caused and will amend our record books accordingly to reflect current eligibility criteria.”
As part of the resolution, UPenn removed Thomas’s name from its women’s swimming “All-Time School Records” list.
A disclaimer has been added, clarifying that Thomas’s achievements occurred during the 2021–2022 season under eligibility policies that have since changed.
This institutional shift comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that bars federal funding to educational institutions permitting trans women to compete in female athletic categories.
The NCAA followed with revised rules in March, limiting participation in women’s events strictly to athletes assigned female at birth.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon hailed the decision as a milestone for women’s sports.
“Today’s outcome marks a strong step toward restoring fairness and integrity in women’s athletics,” she said. “We commend UPenn for taking responsibility and correcting course.”
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had previously determined that UPenn’s policies violated Title IX protections by allowing “males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”
Thomas’s case became a flashpoint in national conversations about gender identity and competitive fairness in sports.
While LGBTQ+ advocates praised her participation as a breakthrough for trans inclusion, critics — including some of her teammates — argued it undermined the rights and efforts of cisgender female athletes.
