The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to revoke Lia Thomas’s swimming records and redefine its athletic gender policies following a Title IX reinterpretation ordered by the Trump administration.
At a Glance
- UPenn rescinded Lia Thomas’s titles and issued personal apologies to former teammates.
- The university now defines “male” and “female” based on biological sex for athletic purposes.
- Paula Scanlan, a former teammate, publicly welcomed the move.
- The Education Department deemed earlier trans inclusion policies noncompliant with federal law.
- Civil rights groups warn the decision could erode protections for transgender students nationwide.
Records Rewritten and Policies Redefined
The University of Pennsylvania will strip Lia Thomas of her NCAA women’s titles and expunge her name from official records under a settlement agreement with the Department of Education, which now enforces biological definitions of sex in federally funded athletic programs. This pivot aligns with a 2025 executive order signed by President Trump, directing the department to reinterpret Title IX protections on the basis of biological sex.
Multiple outlets confirmed the shift. The university agreed to remove Thomas’s results from official archives and issue formal apologies to athletes who competed against her. People reported that Penn will also rewrite its athletics handbook and locker-room policy to reflect “biology-based eligibility,” making it the first Ivy League school to enact such guidelines.
Linda McMahon, Trump’s education secretary, hailed the decision as a “major victory for fairness,” while Them.us characterized the agreement as “a political surrender that erases trans athletes from history.”
Watch a report: UPenn ban on transgender athletes, removal of Lia Thomas’ records a ‘wonderful first start,’ former teammate says
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6375179527112
Former Teammate Speaks Out
Paula Scanlan, a former UPenn swimmer and outspoken critic of Thomas’s inclusion, told Newsmax she felt “vindicated” by the reversal. Scanlan revealed that university officials privately apologized for what she called a “forced silencing” of women’s concerns during the 2021–2022 season.
“It’s more than just the medals,” she said in a televised segment. “We were told we had to accept it, that we were bigots if we objected, and now the school is admitting it wasn’t fair. That matters.”
Scanlan also urged other universities to “rethink their policies before more women are pushed aside.”
Civil Rights Clash and Broader Implications
LGBTQ+ advocates slammed the decision, calling it a dangerous rollback of protections. Them.us warned that the precedent could lead to a wave of similar erasures across college sports. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement declaring, “This is not fairness—it’s federally sanctioned discrimination.”
Nonetheless, conservative legal groups praised the ruling, suggesting that other universities would follow suit now that the Department of Education has made its enforcement posture clear. Already, schools in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee are drafting similar “biology-based” participation rules, and lawsuits are anticipated in multiple jurisdictions.
As Penn reclassifies its athletic records and retracts medals once awarded to Thomas, the shockwaves from this high-profile reversal continue to ripple across the country—raising fundamental questions about identity, fairness, and the future of inclusion in American sports.
