DOE Investigates Title IX Violations at San Jose State, UPenn

The U.S. Department of Education has initiated investigations into potential Title IX violations at San Jose State University and the University of Pennsylvania following President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports. The Department's Office of Civil Rights is scrutinizing incidents involving transgender athletes competing on women's teams, which have sparked significant controversy and lawsuits. At San Jose State, concerns were raised by teammates of a transgender volleyball player who alleged they were not informed of her birth sex. At UPenn, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas faced backlash after breaking multiple women's records, leading to lawsuits from former swimmers who felt misled about sharing facilities with him. The DOE emphasized that these investigations aim to uphold the rights and protections for female athletes under Title IX. The NCAA has indicated a willingness to align its policies with the administration's stance on this issue.