UPDATE: Trump unfreezes $175M after UPenn removes men from women’s sports, revoke Lia Thomas' records
The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) agreed to remove male athletes from women’s sports, restore athletic records to female competitors, and adopt biology-based definitions of 'male' and 'female' to align with Title IX.
The agreement follows a decision by the Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that UPenn violated federal civil rights laws by allowing a male to compete on the women's swim team.
Editor’s Note: After initial publication of this article, it was reported that the Trump administration unfroze $175 million for the University of Pennsylvania after the Ivy League institution took men out of women’s sports and rectified records for female athletes who competed against Lia Thomas.
The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) agreed to remove male athletes from women’s sports and restore athletic records to female competitors in a Title IX resolution with the Trump administration, according to a Department of Education press release.
The agreement follows a decision by the Deptartment of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that UPenn violated federal civil rights laws by allowing Lia Thomas, formerly William Thomas, to join the women’s swim team, forcing female athletes to compete against and share private facilities with a male.
In its decision, the department announced that the university must restore records and achievements to the original female recipients.
[RELATED: Dept. of Ed urges NCAA to rescind records, awards from men playing in women’s divisions]
The university will also formally apologize to every affected female swimmer and adopt biology-based definitions of “male” and “female” that align with federal Title IX law and President Trump’s executive orders “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism” and “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
In March, the Trump administration announced it would withhold $175 million in funding from the university, Campus Reform reported.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the resolution “another example of the Trump effect in action.”
“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote in the press release.
Paula Scanlan, a former UPenn swimmer and teammate of Lia Thomas, applauded the administration’s actions.
“As a former UPenn swimmer who had to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I am deeply grateful to the Trump Administration for refusing to back down on protecting women and girls and restoring our rightful accolades. I am also pleased that my alma mater has finally agreed to take not only the lawful path, but the honorable one,” Scanlan said.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Pennsylvania for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
