University of Pennsylvania removes records set by trans swimmer as a resolution to civil rights investigation.
A prominent US university, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), has agreed to prevent transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports and erase records set by a well-known trans swimmer, in response to pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump.
The agreement to resolve a federal civil rights investigation concerning trans swimmer Lia Thomas was announced by UPenn and the US Department of Education on Tuesday.
Thomas, who was born male and came out as a trans woman in 2018, achieved a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I title in 2022, becoming the first trans athlete to accomplish this feat.
Thomas, who began hormone replacement therapy in 2019 as part of the transition from male to female, also set UPenn records in five women’s events, including the 100-metre and 500-metre freestyle competitions.
Thomas’s achievements sparked a debate about fairness in sports, with supporters viewing this as a victory for inclusion and critics, including some of Thomas’s teammates, seeing it as a violation of women’s rights.
Larry Jameson, the president of UPenn, acknowledged in a statement that some student athletes were disadvantaged by the NCAA eligibility rules at the time of Thomas’s participation.
The NCAA subsequently modified its eligibility rules to limit participation in women’s events to female-born athletes in March, following an executive order from Trump denying funding to educational institutions that allow trans girls and women to compete.
“We recognize the issues and apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or anxiety due to the policies in effect at the time,” Jameson stated.
“We will review and update the Penn women’s swimming records set during that season to indicate who would now hold the records under current eligibility guidelines.”
UPenn later removed Thomas from its website’s list of “All-Time School Records” and included a note indicating that the records were set during the 2021-22 season under the “eligibility rules in effect at the time”.
UPenn’s decision follows the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights’ announcement in April that it found the university had violated Title IX by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities”.
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon welcomed Tuesday’s agreement, calling it “a great victory for women and girls”.
“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls and will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon stated.
Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, two major US-based LGBTQ advocacy organizations, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
UPenn’s move is part of a broader trend limiting trans people’s participation in sports in the US and worldwide since Trump’s return to power in January.
In March, World Athletics announced its decision to require participants in women’s events to undergo DNA testing to verify biological sex.
Opinion polls indicate growing public opposition to trans women and girls competing against female-born athletes.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll released in January revealed that 79 percent of Americans believe trans women should be banned from female sports, representing an increase from 62 percent in 2021.
The agreement to resolve a federal civil rights investigation concerning trans swimmer Lia Thomas was announced by UPenn and the US Department of Education on Tuesday.
Thomas, who was born male and came out as a trans woman in 2018, achieved a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I title in 2022, becoming the first trans athlete to accomplish this feat.
Thomas, who began hormone replacement therapy in 2019 as part of the transition from male to female, also set UPenn records in five women’s events, including the 100-metre and 500-metre freestyle competitions.
Thomas’s achievements sparked a debate about fairness in sports, with supporters viewing this as a victory for inclusion and critics, including some of Thomas’s teammates, seeing it as a violation of women’s rights.
Larry Jameson, the president of UPenn, acknowledged in a statement that some student athletes were disadvantaged by the NCAA eligibility rules at the time of Thomas’s participation.
The NCAA subsequently modified its eligibility rules to limit participation in women’s events to female-born athletes in March, following an executive order from Trump denying funding to educational institutions that allow trans girls and women to compete.
“We recognize the issues and apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or anxiety due to the policies in effect at the time,” Jameson stated.
“We will review and update the Penn women’s swimming records set during that season to indicate who would now hold the records under current eligibility guidelines.”
UPenn later removed Thomas from its website’s list of “All-Time School Records” and included a note indicating that the records were set during the 2021-22 season under the “eligibility rules in effect at the time”.
UPenn’s decision follows the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights’ announcement in April that it found the university had violated Title IX by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities”.
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon welcomed Tuesday’s agreement, calling it “a great victory for women and girls”.
“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls and will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon stated.
Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, two major US-based LGBTQ advocacy organizations, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
UPenn’s move is part of a broader trend limiting trans people’s participation in sports in the US and worldwide since Trump’s return to power in January.
In March, World Athletics announced its decision to require participants in women’s events to undergo DNA testing to verify biological sex.
Opinion polls indicate growing public opposition to trans women and girls competing against female-born athletes.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll released in January revealed that 79 percent of Americans believe trans women should be banned from female sports, representing an increase from 62 percent in 2021.
