Federal authorities direct University of Pennsylvania to annul transgender athlete's performance stats
In a sweeping decision, the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights accused the University of Pennsylvania of violating Title IX guarantees against sex discrimination. The allegation stemmed from allowing a transgender woman to compete on the women's swimming team, denying women equal opportunities in intercollegiate athletics and intimate facilities.
Controversy erupted when the transgender woman, Lia Thomas, clinched the 2022 NCAA championship in the women's 500-yard freestyle. The government's edict did not name Thomas, but gave Penn 10 days to erase her records, ban transgender athletes from women's teams, and issue apology letters to female athletes whose experiences were tainted by sex discrimination.
Penn insisted it followed all Ivy League and NCAA rules regarding women's sports participation, but under Trump's administration, these rules tightened significantly. In 2025, Trump issued an executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," claiming transgender women's inclusion would deprive cisgender women of equal opportunities. This order sparked an NCAA policy change, immediately banning transgender women from female competitions.
The administration's punitive measures reached beyond Penn. San Jose State, allegedly hosting a transgender player on its women's volleyball team last season, faced investigations, as did the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Other institutions like Denver Public Schools also faced the threat of funding suspensions.
The administration's hardline stance led to legal challenges. Maine, under a contested transgender sports ban, faced a lawsuit from the Education Department. California and Maine remained primary targets of federal investigations, while Penn vowed to comply with NCAA and Ivy League rules. As the policies run headlong into conflicting state-federal stances, they continue to face intense legal scrutiny.
- San Thomas, the transgender swimmer at the center of the Title IX controversy, is now considering legal action against the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, as their edict potentially limits her sports participation.
- In a move reminiscent of Donald Trump's executive order, the NCAA implemented a policy in 2025, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," which restrictively limits the participation of transgender women in sports competitions.
- The legal battles over transgender athletes' rights in sports extend beyond the University of Pennsylvania, as institutions like San Jose State, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, and Denver Public Schools face funding suspensions or federal investigations, due to their perceived non-compliance with the administration's restrictive sports policies.
