University of Pennsylvania to ban transgender athletes, feds say, ending civil rights case focused on swimmer Lia Thomas
Share and Follow

The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams to resolve a federal civil rights case that found the school violated the rights of female athletes.

The U.S. Education Department announced the voluntary agreement Tuesday. The case focused on Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.

It’s part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.

Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost out to Thomas, the Education Department said. Penn also agreed to send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Thomas would be stripped of her awards and honors at Penn.

The university must also announce that it “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs, “and it must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female, the department said.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls.

“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon said in a statement.

The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education. Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary agreements. If Penn had fought the finding, the department could have moved to refer the case to the Justice Department or pursued a separate process to cut the school’s federal funding.

In February, the Education Department asked the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFSHSA, to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

The most obvious target at the college level was in women’s swimming, where Thomas won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.

The NCAA has updated its record books when recruiting and other violations have stripped titles from certain schools, but the organization, like the NFSHSA, has not responded to the federal government’s request. Determining which events had a transgender athlete participating years later would be challenging.

Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Mistakenly deported man details abuse in El Salvador prison

Man who was wrongly deported shares his experience of mistreatment in a prison in El Salvador

Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and…
Kathy Griffin looks unrecognizable as she steps out in LA

Kathy Griffin’s appearance is significantly different as she makes a public appearance in Los Angeles

Kathy Griffin looked nearly unrecognizable as she stepped out in Los Angeles…
Congressional intern gunned down in DC street shooting wasn't intended target: police

Congressional intern gunned down in DC street shooting wasn’t intended target: police

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A University of Massachusetts-Amherst…
Del Monte, the 139-year-old canned fruits and vegetables company, seeks bankruptcy protection

Del Monte, a company that has been in the business of selling canned fruits and vegetables for 139 years, is filing for bankruptcy protection.

Del Monte Foods, the 139-year-old company best known for its canned fruits…
Anti-slavery document from 1847 reveals American Baptists' commitment to abolition

American Baptists show dedication to abolition in 1847 anti-slavery document.

GROTON, Mass. (AP) — Jennifer Cromack was combing through the American Baptist…
Sean 'Diddy' Combs got off on sex trafficking, racketeering charges after feds built 'weak' case: experts

Experts say federal prosecutors had a weak case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for sex trafficking and racketeering charges, resulting in his acquittal.

They puffed it up. Legal experts have criticized federal prosecutors for their…
GBI: Man arrested for shooting at car with child inside and officers in Waycross

Man Arrested in Waycross for Shooting at Car with Child and Officers

Devonte Deshawn Williams, 28, was arrested Tuesday after investigators say he exchanged…
Bryan Kohberger a 'sick and twisted murderer': Banfield

Banfield describes Bryan Kohberger as a “sick and twisted killer”.

() anchor Ashleigh Banfield commented on Bryan Kohberger admitting guilt to the…