The US Department of Education Civil Rights Office determined on Monday (28) that the University of Pennsylvania violated the guarantees of Title IX against sexual discrimination by allowing a transgender woman to compete on her female swimming team.
The university was considered guilty of denying “women’s opportunities equal by allowing men to compete in athletics”.
Lia Thomas, one, won the 2022 NCAA Championship in the 400 meters free female. Monday’s government decree did not mention Thomas nominally.
Deleted records
The Department of Education gave Penn 10 days to erase Thomas’s records. The school was also ordered to ban transgender athletes from women’s teams and issue letters of apology to women’s athletes whose “educational experience in athletics was impaired by sexual discrimination.”
PENN has stated that it has complied with all applicable rules of Ivy League and NCAA regarding participation in women’s sports.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order entitled “” on February 5, stating that the administration would suspend federal funding to elementary, middle and higher education institutions that would allow transgender girls or women to compete in women’s teams.
Administration also started investigations from Title IX at Penn, San Jose State (who allegedly had a transgender player on her female volleyball team last season) and the Interescolar Athletic Association of Massachusetts.
Several other related actions followed, including the Justice Department processing the state of Maine in an effort to prevent transgender participation in women’s sports. In March, the White House cut $ 175 million in federal funds for Penn related to the issue of transgender athletes.
