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UPenn to Ban Transgender Women in Sports, Restore Records in Federal Title IX Deal

Ending the Title IX probe into Lia Thomas’s eligibility, the settlement restores Penn’s access to federal funding.

Who is Lia Thomas and where is she now? UPenn to erase swimmer's records, ban trans athletes (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP)
Penn Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas stands between Stanford Cardinal swimmer Lillie Nordmann Kentucky Wildcats swimmer Riley Gaines after finishing fifth in the 200 free at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships at Georgia Tech on March 18, 2022 in Atlanta.
FILE - Swimmers including Penn's Lia Thomas, lane 4, dive into the water at the start of a qualifying heat of the 200 yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Feb. 18, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)
Penn Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas finishes eighth in the 100 free at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships at Georgia Tech.

Overview

  • Penn will prohibit males from women’s athletic programs and adopt biology-based definitions of sex under the DOE resolution.
  • The agreement mandates restoration of all Division I swim records and titles to female athletes who competed against Lia Thomas, along with personalized apology letters.
  • In April, the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights found Penn in violation of Title IX for allowing Thomas to join the women’s team, prompting the settlement.
  • The Trump administration had threatened to suspend $175 million in federal funds to compel Penn to comply with its interpretation of sex discrimination rules.
  • Earlier this year, the NCAA tightened its transgender eligibility policy to restrict women’s competition to athletes assigned female at birth, dovetailing with the federal deal.