The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Monday that it has found the University of Pennsylvania in violation of Title IX for allowing men to compete on its women’s sports teams.
In order to resolve its violations of federal anti-discrimination law and to avoid a referral to the Justice Department for enforcement proceedings — which could lead to a loss of federal funding — the university has 10 days to take action.
The ED’s proposed resolution agreement requires the institution to: notify the university community that it will now comply with Title IX in all of its athletic programs; “restore to all female athletes all individual athletic records, titles, honors, awards or similar recognition for Division I swimming competitions misappropriated by male athletes competing in female categories”; and send a letter to each female athlete whose recognition is restored apologizing “for allowing her educational experience in athletics to be marred by sex discrimination.”
While the announcement did not explicitly reference any particular transvestite athlete, by the mention of swimming competitions, it is clear that the invasion of William “Lia” Thomas into women’s sports and spaces was at issue.
Blaze News previously reported that Thomas was a middling performer on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swimming team until he starting taking hormones in 2019 and competing against women.
Thomas, ranked 554th in the 200-yard freestyle for men, went on to crush records set by females in the 500-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Division I championships and tie with All-American swim star Riley Gaines for fifth that April in the women’s 200-meter.
According to Gaines, to whom the university must now apologize, it was around that time Thomas exposed his male genitalia in a women’s locker room.
Paula Scanlan, a former University of Pennsylvania student athlete who was listed as a senior on Penn Athletics’ Women’s Swimming and Diving Roster and swam with Thomas, initially objected to his participation anonymously but put her name on record in 2023 to fight against male infiltration of female sports.
‘I honestly don’t think that they are sorry for what they did to us female athletes.’
“Little girls who look up to Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan can find hope in today’s action — the Trump Administration will not allow male athletes to invade female private spaces or compete in female categories,” acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement.
Trainor added, “UPenn has a choice to make: do the right thing for its female students and come into full compliance with Title IX immediately or continue to advance an extremist political project that violates federal antidiscrimination law and puts UPenn’s federal funding at risk.”
Scanlan said in a video statement Monday, “I don’t think the University of Pennsylvania is going to apologize to anyone.”
“I honestly don’t think that they are sorry for what they did to us female athletes,” continued Scanlan, adding that that by all indications, the university appears to believe men belong in women’ sports.
Scanlan noted, for instance, that “the University of Pennsylvania nominated Lia Thomas for NCAA Woman of the Year. Each school gets only a few nominees and they chose Lia Thomas.”
“They also told all of us female athletes that we needed to seek psychological services if we objected to him undressing in our locker room 18 times per week,” continued the female athlete. “They continue to highlight Thomas’ achievements all over social media and they would also sell out the stands of our swim meets to media so that they could take pictures of us in our swimsuits.”
The Trump administration suspended approximately $175 million in grants and contracts to the University of Pennsylvania last month over its policies enabling men to compete in women’s sports.
In response to the funding freeze, J. Larry Jameson, the university’s president, effectively blamed the NCAA for Thomas’ invasion of women’s sports.
“For NCAA Division I sports, eligibility is governed by NCAA rules,” wrote Jameson. “Beginning in 2010, the NCAA required that transgender student-athletes be permitted to participate on college teams. Penn has never had a transgender student-athlete policy of its own. During the 2021-22 season, a student-athlete who had transitioned while on leave from Penn the previous year competed in women’s swimming, in full compliance with NCAA rules and Title IX policies in place at the time.”
Jameson noted that when the NCAA revised its policy in compliance with President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” the university followed suit.
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Education department, Lia thomas, William thomas, Ncaa, Swimming, University of pennsylvania, U of p, Transgender, Trans, Athletics, Sports, Politics
