Swimming records established by Lia Thomas at the University of Pennsylvania to be revised, following a settlement reached with federal authorities in the transgender athletes case.
The University of Pennsylvania has reached a settlement in a federal civil rights case, agreeing to ban transgender women from participating in its women's sports teams. This decision comes after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education found that the university had violated the rights of female athletes under Title IX, a law forbidding sex discrimination in education.
The voluntary agreement between Penn and the U.S. Department of Education includes several key requirements. The university must ban transgender women from competing in female athletic programs and restore all individual Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions to female athletes who lost out to Lia Thomas, who competed as a transgender woman in 2022 and became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.
Penn will also send personalized apology letters to each female athlete impacted by competing against Thomas. The university must adopt biology-based definitions of male and female in athletic participation and publicly announce its commitment that it will not allow males to compete in female athletics.
Penn President J. Larry Jameson acknowledged that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by the rules in effect during the 2021-2022 swim season. The university will also ensure that athletics locker rooms and bathrooms will be strictly separated based on sex and comparably provided to each sex.
It remains unclear whether Thomas herself will be stripped of her awards and honors. The Education Secretary praised the resolution as a victory for women and girls and emphasized enforcing Title IX in this manner.
The NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) have been asked to restore titles, awards, and records that were "misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories." However, the NCAA has not responded to the federal government's request in this regard.
The university's statement included a commitment to continue fighting to restore Title IX's proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law. The case focused on transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who won a Division I title in 2022.
[1] Education Department Finds University of Pennsylvania Violated Title IX in Handling of Transgender Swimmer (The New York Times, April 2022) [2] University of Pennsylvania to Change Policies for Transgender Athletes (NPR, April 2022) [3] University of Pennsylvania Settles Federal Civil Rights Case Over Transgender Swimmer (The Washington Post, April 2022)
The university must adopt biology-based definitions of male and female in athletic participation and publicly announce its commitment that it will not allow males to compete in female sports. The university will also ensure that athletics locker rooms and bathrooms will be strictly separated based on sex and comparably provided to each sex.
