The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams, resolving a federal civil rights investigation centered on former swimmer Lia Thomas. The U.S. Department of Education announced the voluntary agreement Tuesday, stating that Penn violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete in women’s events during the 2021–2022 season.
As part of the resolution, Penn will reinstate Division I swimming records and titles to athletes displaced by Thomas’s victories and issue personalized apology letters to each of them, per the Department of Education. The university must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female in athletics and publicly commit to barring “males from competing in female athletic programs.” Penn and the NCAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The agreement marks a significant development in the Trump administration’s broader campaign to restrict transgender participation in women’s sports. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the outcome a “victory for women and girls,” signaling a more aggressive federal stance on enforcing Title IX based on biological sex.
The case has reignited national debate over fairness in women’s athletics, transgender rights, and the scope of federal civil rights protections. It also sets a precedent for how schools may be required to handle similar cases under current federal leadership.
Hellbound and Down 