Trump Administration Challenges University of Pennsylvania Over Transgender Athlete Participation
In a move that has reignited the debate over transgender athletes in sports, the Trump administration announced on Monday that the University of Pennsylvania has violated laws that ensure women have equal opportunities in athletics. The controversy centers around the university’s decision to allow a transgender swimmer to compete on its women’s team and access team facilities.
While the administration’s statement does not explicitly name Lia Thomas, it is clear that the investigation by the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which began in February, is focused on her. Thomas, who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, made history as the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title that year. However, this accolade is now under threat as the administration seeks to revoke it.
The department’s stance is that Penn violated Title IX, a law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions, by “denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”
As of Monday, Penn has not issued a comment on the matter. However, the university has previously stated that it adhered to NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams, both during Thomas’s tenure and currently.
The Education Department has given Penn a 10-day window to voluntarily address the violations or face prosecution. The demands include issuing a statement of compliance with Title IX, stripping Thomas of any awards or records in Division I swimming competitions, and apologizing to each female swimmer whose individual recognition was affected, acknowledging the impact of sex discrimination on their educational experience in athletics.
In a significant financial repercussion, the Trump administration suspended approximately $175 million in federal funding for Penn in March due to its decision to allow Thomas to compete. This funding was sourced from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Back in 2022, the NCAA adopted a sport-by-sport approach to the participation of transgender athletes, deferring to the national governing organization of each sport, international federation, or previously established International Olympic Committee criteria. Under these guidelines, Thomas was eligible to compete, as they allowed female transgender swimmers who had completed one year of hormone replacement therapy to participate.
However, the NCAA’s policy shifted dramatically the day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on February 5, which aimed to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. This change ended the sport-by-sport practice in favor of a blanket policy that restricts participation in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth.
The Education Department’s scrutiny extends beyond Penn, as it has also opened reviews of other institutions and organizations, including San Jose State University volleyball, Denver Public Schools, Portland Public Schools, Oregon School Activities Association, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Additionally, the department has taken legal action against the state of Maine, seeking to compel it to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports or face prosecution.
- The Trump administration’s actions have sparked a nationwide debate on the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports.
- Penn faces significant pressure to comply with federal demands or risk losing substantial funding.
- The NCAA’s policy change reflects a broader shift in the landscape of collegiate athletics.
As this situation unfolds, it is clear that the conversation surrounding transgender athletes in sports is far from over. The implications of these decisions will likely reverberate throughout the world of collegiate athletics and beyond, as institutions grapple with the complex intersection of gender identity, fairness, and competition.
Originally Written by: Associated Press
