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6h ago

UPenn Found in Violation of Title IX Over Transgender Athlete Participation

The Education Department has given the university 10 days to comply with federal demands, including barring transgender athletes and restoring honors to female competitors, or face a DOJ referral.

FILE - University of Pennsylvania signage is seen in Philadelphia, May 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
United States Department of Education logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Overview

  • The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ruled that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX by allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports and access women-only facilities.
  • UPenn has been issued a 10-day deadline to bar transgender athletes from women’s teams, restore athletic records and honors to affected female athletes, and issue apology letters, or face a criminal referral to the Department of Justice.
  • The ruling stems from Lia Thomas’s participation on the women’s swim team during the 2021–22 season, when she became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I championship and broke school records.
  • The Trump administration had already frozen $175 million in federal funding to UPenn in March 2025 over its previous policies allowing transgender athletes in women’s sports.
  • The Education Department has launched similar Title IX investigations into other institutions and states, signaling a broader federal push to enforce sex-based distinctions in athletics.