University of Pennsylvania to ban transgender athletes, feds say, ending civil rights case focused on swimmer Lia Thomas
Share this @internewscast.com

The University of Pennsylvania has settled a federal civil rights case by prohibiting transgender women from joining its women’s sports teams, following allegations of rights violations against female athletes.

The U.S. Education Department disclosed this voluntary settlement on Tuesday. The case was centered around Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who previously competed for the school when she made history as the first openly transgender competitor to secure a Division I championship in 2022.

It’s part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.

As part of the settlement, Penn has promised to reinstate all swimming records and titles in Division I formerly claimed by Lia Thomas to the original female athletes, according to the Education Department. Additionally, Penn has agreed to issue personalized apology letters to every impacted swimmer.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Thomas would be stripped of her awards and honors at Penn.

The university must also announce that it “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs, “and it must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female, the department said.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls.

“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon said in a statement.

The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education. Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary agreements. If Penn had fought the finding, the department could have moved to refer the case to the Justice Department or pursued a separate process to cut the school’s federal funding.

In February, the Education Department asked the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFSHSA, to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

The most obvious target at the college level was in women’s swimming, where Thomas won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.

The NCAA has updated its record books when recruiting and other violations have stripped titles from certain schools, but the organization, like the NFSHSA, has not responded to the federal government’s request. Determining which events had a transgender athlete participating years later would be challenging.

Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Crews respond to massive explosions at fireworks facility in California

Emergency Teams Tackle Huge Blasts at California Fireworks Site

A fireworks facility in Yolo County, California caught fire and exploded on…
South Carolina deputy shot and killed in ambush, sheriff says

Sheriff reports South Carolina deputy fatally shot in surprise attack

A South Carolina deputy, who completed field training just last week, was…
FAA partners with university in South to address nationwide air traffic controller shortage

FAA Collaborates with Southern University to Tackle National Shortfall of Air Traffic Controllers

<!–> Aviation Specialist Sheds Light on FAA Turmoil Greg Raiff, the CEO…
DeSantis administration threatens to punish island city that voted to end police agreement with ICE

DeSantis Administration Warns Island City of Consequences for Terminating Police Partnership with ICE

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said leaders in the state’s most southern…
He pioneered the cellphone. It changed how people around the world talk to each other — and don’t

He Revolutionized Communication: How the Cellphone Transformed Global Interaction

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Dick Tracy got an atom-powered two-way wrist…
Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Overturns 176-Year-Old Abortion Ban with Liberal Majority Vote

The liberal majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned a 176-year-old abortion…
Here's how millions of people could lose health insurance if Trump's tax bill becomes law

Why Trump’s Tax Bill Could Cause Millions to Lose Health Insurance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Approximately 11.8 million adults and children could lose their…
Jamie Raskin Is Going to Have a Tough Time Getting Off the Mat After This Trump Roundhouse

Jamie Raskin Faces Challenges Recovering from Trump’s Latest Blow

President Trump sharply criticized Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) after the congressman confessed…
American Airlines Douglas DC-4 airplane in flight over ocean.

Exploring the 1950 Plane Crash Where Remains Were Found Ashore for Days – Search Concluded Decades After

THE full story of a mysterious Michigan plane crash may never be…
Trump Wins Massive Payout From CBS Over Kamala Interview Scandal, Details of Settlement Humiliate Network

CBS Settles with Trump for Large Sum After Kamala Interview Scandal, Leaving Network Embarrassed

Paramount Global and CBS News have reached a settlement in a lawsuit…
Charlize Theron, 49, makes candid sex confession about hookup with a 26-year-old

Charlize Theron, 49, Opens Up About Intimate Encounter with a 26-Year-Old

Charlize Theron recently had a “f–king amazing” hookup with a 26-year-old. The…
BIO Plots $2M Campaign to Remove RFK

BIO Launches $2 Million Effort to Dismiss RFK

A leaked memo surfaced outlining a plot to remove US Secretary of…