UPenn bans trans athlete Lia Thomas and strips her swimming titles after deal with Trump administration

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports, the US Department of Education announced on Tuesday, July 1.

This move further allows UPenn to ban trans swimmer Lia Thomas from competing and strip her swim titles following a deal with the Trump administration, according to Newsweek.

UPenn bans Lia Thomas and strips her swim titles

The Department of Education also stated that UPenn violated Title IX by allowing Lia Thomas to compete in women's events during the 2021–2022 season, per the outlet.

Moreover, the University will reinstate Division I swimming records and titles to athletes displaced by Thomas's win and will also issue personalized apology letters to each of them as part of the resolution, the Department of Education stated.

The Department of Education added that UPenn must adopt "biology-based" definitions of male and female in athletics and publicly commit to barring "males from competing in female athletic programs".

Meanwhile, the agreement marks a crucial development in the Trump administration's broader campaign to restrict transgender participation in women's sports.

Moreover, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the outcome a "victory for women and girls," and signaled a more aggressive federal stance on enforcing Title IX based on biological sex, per Newsweek.

The Education Department started its investigation in February 2025, and in April, it concluded that Penn's decision to allow Thomas to compete violated Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, per the outlet.

On Tuesday, the Department of Education announced that UPenn agreed to ban transgender women from its women's sports teams as part of a voluntary resolution with the department.

The decision was applauded by athletes who were impacted by the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports in recent years, according to the New York Post.

Paula Scanlan, a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, said, "As a former UPenn swimmer who had to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I am deeply grateful to the Trump Administration for refusing to back down on protecting women and girls and restoring our rightful accolades. I am also pleased that my alma mater has finally agreed to take not only the lawful path, but the honorable one."

Similarly, Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, also added, "It is my hope that today demonstrates to educational institutions that they will no longer be allowed to trample upon women’s civil rights, and renews hope in every female athlete that their country’s highest leadership will not relent until they have the dignity, safety, and fairness they deserve."

She also wrote in a post on X, "UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman. Are pigs flying? God bless @realDonaldTrump."

Donald Trump's attack on trans athletes

President Donald Trump targeted transgenders and nonbinary people with several executive orders since he returned to office for his second run as the president.

In February 2025, he signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports.

The order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,” provides federal agencies wide latitude to ensure entities that receive federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration's view.

The president said during the signing ceremony, "With this executive order, the war on women's sports is over."

In May 2025, Trump took an indirect jibe at AB Hernandez, a 16-year-old track and field trans athlete from California, in a frenzied social media post, according to The Guardian.

He claimed he was “ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow” her to compete, writing her participation was “NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS”.