University of Pennsylvania bans transgender women from women’s sports, updates Lia Thomas records

The University of Pennsylvania has officially reversed its policy allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports, aligning with the Trump administration’s executive orders on gender and athletics. This move directly affects swimmer Lia Thomas, who made headlines in 2022 as the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title.

As part of the agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the university will erase any records or titles earned by transgender athletes under the previous policy. Lia Thomas’s swimming records will be updated to reflect the current eligibility standards, which limit participation in women’s sports to individuals assigned female at birth.

Penn also issued an apology to female athletes who were, in their words, “disadvantaged” by the former policy. The apology and record corrections are part of a settlement in a federal civil rights investigation under Title IX—a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding.

The controversy began in 2022 when Thomas competed for the university’s women’s swim team and won a national title. The decision to allow her participation sparked widespread public debate and led to protests from some athletes and advocacy groups, who argued it was unfair to allow transgender women—assigned male at birth—to compete in female-only categories due to physical advantages.

Penn President J. Larry Jameson clarified that the school had followed NCAA rules in place at the time but now adheres to revised regulations. These rules reflect a stricter stance adopted after President Trump signed executive orders in early 2025, which prohibit transgender athletes from joining female sports teams at educational institutions that receive federal aid.

Jameson acknowledged the emotional and competitive impact on some student-athletes and emphasized Penn’s compliance with current Title IX interpretations. The school also pledged to release a statement affirming its commitment to women’s athletics under the definitions laid out by recent federal directives.

The Department of Education described the policy reversal as a step toward “protecting women’s sports,” referring to transgender women athletes as “male athletes” and citing concerns about gender ideology in athletics.

Although the Department did not mention the $175 million in federal funding that had previously been frozen, it’s widely believed that financial pressure played a role in Penn’s decision. President Trump has warned schools that defy these new gender-based policies that they risk losing federal support.

The debate continues to divide public opinion, but the University of Pennsylvania’s policy shift marks a significant development in the ongoing national conversation about transgender participation in sports.