Rabia Iclal Turan
02 July 2025•Update: 02 July 2025
WASHINGTON
The University of Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that it has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams to resolve a federal civil rights case brought by the US Department of Education.
The agreement is part of the broader effort of the Trump administration to remove transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports.
It came after the education department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) determined that the university violated federal law by allowing a transgender athlete to join the women’s swim team and access female-only facilities.
The investigation for Title IX violations stemmed from the inclusion of Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, on the university’s women’s team. One of Thomas’ former teammates, Paula Scanlan, testified before Congress that she and her teammates were “offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male.”
"Thanks to the leadership of President (Donald) Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected," said Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
"Today is a great victory for women and girls not only at the University of Pennsylvania, but all across our nation," she added.
