Summary
The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has decided to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's sports following a federal investigation linked to swimmer Lia Thomas. The school will update its sports records and issues an apology, aligning its policies with federal guidelines that follow unchangeable characteristics of sex assigned at birth.
Key Facts
- The University of Pennsylvania will bar transgender athletes from women's sports after a federal investigation due to swimmer Lia Thomas.
- The U.S. Department of Education announced the agreement, requiring UPenn to apologize and update women's sports records.
- UPenn will adjust its records from the 2021-22 season to show who would hold them under current eligibility rules.
- Lia Thomas was the first transgender athlete to win a top U.S. college title in 2022.
- The decision follows an executive order signed by President Trump to stop transgender women from competing in female sports categories.
- Title IX is a U.S. law that bans sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding.
- The university will now use biology-based definitions for male and female athletes.
- Thomas first competed with the men's swim team before switching to the women's team after starting hormone therapy in 2019.
