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≡ PENN RESOLVES TITLE IX SUIT ≡
“UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes.”
That’s from a Tuesday announcement by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, which specified the six steps Penn will take going forward:
● “UPenn will restore to female athletes all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions which were misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories;
● “UPenn will issue a public statement to the University community stating that it will comply with Title IX, specifying that UPenn will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs or occupy Penn Athletics female intimate facilities;
● The statement will specify that UPenn will adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ pursuant to Title IX and consistent with President Trump’s Executive Orders ‘Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism’ and ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’;
● “UPenn will post the statement in a prominent location on its main website and on each of its websites for women’s athletics;
● “UPenn will rescind any guidance which violated Title IX, remove or revise any internal and public-facing statements or documents that are inconsistent with Title IX, and notify all staff and women’s athletics of all such rescissions; and
● “UPenn will send a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer.”
This is all about the Lia Thomas case, in which the former Will Thomas, a former men’s swimmer at Penn, transitioned to female and joined the Penn women’s team, become a national star, winning three Ivy League title and the 2022 NCAA women’s 500-yard title, plus All-American honors in the 200-yard Free and 100-yard Free.
The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights opened an inquiry into Penn’s actions in allowing Thomas to compete as a woman. Per the Department:
“On April 28, OCR concluded in its investigation that UPenn violated Title IX. OCR issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to voluntarily resolve its Title IX violations or risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforcement proceedings, which UPenn signed today.”
University of Pennsylvania President Dr. J. Larry Jameson said in a statement, “This is a complex issue, and I am pleased that we were able to reach a resolution through the standard OCR process for concluding Title IX investigations,” and added:
“Penn has always followed – and continues to follow – Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”
It is noteworthy that the agreement announced today was not joined by the Ivy League or the NCAA, in whose championships Thomas starred in 2022.
Former Penn swimmer Paula Scanlan said in the statement:
“As a former UPenn swimmer who had to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I am deeply grateful to the Trump Administration for refusing to back down on protecting women and girls and restoring our rightful accolades. I am also pleased that my alma mater has finally agreed to take not only the lawful path, but the honorable one.”
The Education Department has also been pursuing cases elsewhere, including against the California Interscholastic Federation, for allowing a high school transgender athlete to compete at the California State Track & Field Championships.
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