In a significant development impacting collegiate sports and the ongoing debate surrounding gender identity, the university of Pennsylvania (upenn) has announced a dramatic policy shift. The Ivy League institution has agreed to prohibit transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams and will remove the swimming records previously set by prominent transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. This action stems from a resolution agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) under the Trump administration, concluding a federal civil rights investigation into the university’s compliance with Title IX.
The agreement mandates several corrective actions for UPenn, aligning its athletic policies with the administration’s interpretation of the landmark 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational institutions. The university committed to defining “male” and “female” based on biological sex for Title IX purposes in athletics, ensuring that participation in women’s sports is restricted to biological females. Furthermore, intimate facilities like locker rooms and showers connected to university athletics will be separated strictly by sex.
Federal Investigation Triggers Policy Overhaul
The roots of this agreement trace back to February 2025 when the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) initiated a Title IX investigation into UPenn. The inquiry was prompted by concerns surrounding Lia Thomas’s participation and success on the women’s swimming team during the 2021-2022 season. Thomas, a transgender woman who previously competed on the men’s team, became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship in March 2022, taking the title in the 500-yard freestyle.
Critics argued that Thomas’s participation created an unfair competitive environment for cisgender female athletes. This pressure, coupled with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to restrict transgender participation in women’s sports and other areas, led to federal scrutiny. In March, preceding the resolution, the White House reportedly withheld $175 million in federal funding from UPenn, linking the action to the transgender athlete issue. This funding cut likely intensified pressure on the university to reach a resolution.
Removing Lia Thomas’s Historic Records
A central component of the agreement is the removal of Lia Thomas’s program records from the UPenn women’s swimming record books. While Thomas’s 2022 NCAA championship title remains valid from the national governing body, her marks achieved specifically for the university program are being erased. The records slated for removal reportedly include program bests in the 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle events.
UPenn has already begun updating its athletics website to reflect these changes. Although the records have been taken down, the university has added a note acknowledging that Lia Thomas set these program records during the 2021-2022 season while competing under the NCAA and Ivy League eligibility rules that were in effect at that time. This distinction highlights the shift in policy rather than a retroactive invalidation of past competitions under previous rules.
University Acknowledges Impact on Athletes
Beyond the policy changes and record removals, UPenn is also required to issue apologies to the cisgender female swimmers impacted by the previous policies. University President J. Larry Jameson acknowledged the complexity of the issue and the difficult position the university faced. He stated that while UPenn adhered to NCAA and Ivy League rules in effect during the 2021-2022 season, these rules unfortunately disadvantaged some student-athletes.
Jameson recognized the competitive disadvantage and anxiety experienced by female swimmers who competed against Thomas. As part of the resolution, UPenn will send personalized letters of apology to each woman on the swim team affected. The university’s statement emphasized its commitment to fostering a welcoming environment while also needing to comply with federal requirements and evolving NCAA eligibility rules to ensure its teams can compete nationally.
Broader Context: Title IX and Executive Orders
The agreement underscores the Trump administration’s distinct interpretation of Title IX. Unlike the previous administration, which extended Title IX protections to include gender identity, the Trump administration interprets the law based strictly on biological sex. This interpretation is formalized in executive orders, including “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon hailed the agreement as a victory for women’s sports, stating it ensures protection for future generations of female athletes at UPenn. The administration’s stance is that allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports undermines fairness and safety. This perspective contrasts sharply with advocates for transgender inclusion, who argue that bans violate civil rights and deny transgender individuals the benefits of sports participation.
The Debate Over Competitive Advantage
The debate often centers on whether transgender women retain an inherent athletic advantage due to male puberty, even after hormone therapy. Research on this topic is limited and ongoing, yielding mixed findings. Some older reviews found no direct or consistent evidence of an advantage. However, more recent research, including a 2023 review, suggests that while gender-affirming hormone therapy can reduce many sex differences, some physical attributes like height or limb length may be “less malleable.”
Critics of bans point out the lack of efforts to restrict cisgender athletes with exceptional natural physical gifts. Proponents argue that biological differences developed during puberty create a fundamental difference in strength, speed, and endurance that cannot be fully mitigated, making competition unfair. Lia Thomas herself has stated that she is a woman and belongs on the women’s team, advocating for transgender athletes to receive the same respect as others.
What This Means Moving Forward
For UPenn, the agreement resolves the federal investigation and potentially restores the withheld funding. It necessitates a clear policy prohibiting transgender athletes from women’s teams and adjusting historical records. For Lia Thomas, while her NCAA championship title stands, the removal of her university program records is a significant symbolic action within her alma mater. Thomas has previously indicated her intention to fight against such bans and continue advocating for transgender inclusion in sports, though her eligibility for elite international competition is restricted by rules requiring transgender women to not have experienced biological male puberty.
The resolution also highlights the influence of federal policy and funding on university decisions and reflects the broader cultural and political dynamics surrounding transgender rights and women’s sports. As national and international sports bodies continue to refine their policies on transgender athlete participation, cases like Lia Thomas’s and institutional responses like UPenn’s agreement will likely remain focal points in this complex and evolving landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did UPenn ban transgender athletes and remove Lia Thomas’ records?
The University of Pennsylvania enacted these changes as part of a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). This agreement resolved a federal investigation by the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights which found UPenn in violation of Title IX by allowing a transgender athlete to compete in women’s sports under previous rules. The ban and record removals align UPenn’s policies with the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX, which emphasizes biological sex, as outlined in specific executive orders.
What specific records did Lia Thomas hold that UPenn removed?
As part of the agreement with the Department of Education, UPenn removed several program records Lia Thomas had set while competing for the women’s swimming team during the 2021-2022 season. These records included university program bests in the 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle events. The university’s athletics website notes that these records were set under the eligibility rules in effect at the time of competition.
Does this UPenn policy change affect Lia Thomas’ NCAA championship title?
No, the policy change at the University of Pennsylvania and the removal of records specifically pertain to Lia Thomas’s university program records. Lia Thomas’s NCAA Division I championship title won in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022 is a national title awarded by the NCAA, not the university, and is not affected by this specific agreement or UPenn’s policy change regarding its internal records.
