UPenn, Trump Admin Reach Deal To Strip Trans Swimmer Of Past Titles & Awards

The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has stripped transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of her NCAA Division I championship medal and records as a female competitor. This decision comes as part of an agreement with the Department of Education to prohibit males from competing in female athletic programs and occupying women's bathrooms or locker rooms. The agreement also requires UPenn to make a personal, written apology to every female swimmer who competed against Thomas. Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed the decision as a "great victory for women and girls" across the nation. President Donald Trump had issued an executive order earlier this year prohibiting males from competing in women's sports, citing Title IX laws of 1972 that protected women's sports. The Trump administration had suspended $175 million in federal aid to UPenn and threatened to cut additional funding unless Thomas's titles were relinquished. The NCAA had previously complied with Trump's executive order and prohibited males from women's sports. Thomas had won a Division I NCAA women's swimming championship in 2022 after competing on the men's team from 2017-2020. Riley Gaines, a former Kentucky women's swimmer who competed against Thomas, and Paula Scanlan, a former teammate of Thomas, had lobbied against male participation in women's sports. UPenn President J. Larry Jameson acknowledged the agreement and the university's commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community while upholding Title IX obligations.