UPenn Bans Trans Women, Restores Female Sports Titles

The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women's sports programs and facilities after a federal civil rights investigation led by the U.S. Department of Education, centered on swimmer Lia Thomas. The settlement requires Penn to restore all Division I swimming records, titles, and recognitions to female athletes who competed against Thomas, and to issue personalized apology letters to those affected. Penn is also required to adopt biology-based definitions of sex under Title IX and publicly confirm its compliance on its main and women's athletics websites. The agreement followed threats of significant federal funding loss and comes in the wake of Trump administration executive orders seeking to exclude transgender athletes from women's sports. Penn's president said the university had followed NCAA and Title IX guidance as interpreted at the time but accepted the new requirements to resolve the dispute. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the settlement a major victory for women's and girls' rights in sports.