The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) announced it will strip trans-identified swimmer Lia (Will) Thomas of medals and apologize to female swimmers who had to compete against him in women's competitions.
The decision comes after the U.S. Department of Education determined that UPenn had violated Title IX policies by permitting Thomas, a biological male identifying as a woman, to compete in women’s swimming events.
UPenn reached an agreement with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights to address the Title IX violations, pledging to “restore to female athletes all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions which were misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories.”
Furthermore, UPenn agreed not to allow males to compete in female athletic programs or access women’s facilities on campus. Official apologies will be issued to affected female athletes.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon described the agreement as “a great victory for women and girls” and credited President Trump’s leadership for UPenn’s compliance.
She continued, “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.”
UPenn issued its own statement on Tuesday confirming adherence to the Title IX provisions of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 and the Trump administration's policies concerning women's sports.
The statement emphasized that “The University will not — on the basis of sex — exclude female students from participation in, deny female students the benefits of, or subject female students to discrimination under, any athletics programs.” Additionally, when providing intimate facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms, these will be “strictly separated on the basis of sex and comparably provided to each sex.”
William Thomas, previously known as William before identifying as female, shattered women's swimming records and became a national champion in 2022 while competing for the women's swim team at UPenn. Having previously spent three years on the men’s swim team, Thomas's involvement in women’s sports garnered widespread criticism.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched an investigation into UPenn’s policies on men participating in women’s sports, determining that the university had breached Title IX.
The White House notified UPenn that it would withhold $175 million in funding due to its stance on Thomas and its general policy of allowing men to compete in women’s sports.
