The Trump administration has reinstated $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania after the school revised its stance on transgender athletes. The agreement includes removing swimmer Lia Thomas’ records and blocking transgender women from women’s sports teams.
“We told them that institutions that violate federal civil rights law could lose their federal funding,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated. “So UPenn came back to the table and asked us what they can do to make it right.”
“They signed on the dotted line,” McMahon said, confirming that Penn rewrote its policies to align with new federal definitions under Title IX.
Penn’s President J. Larry Jameson affirmed the university’s compliance with evolving NCAA and Title IX guidelines.
“Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes,” Jameson said.
As part of the deal, Thomas’ records were stripped from Penn’s women’s swimming history, though a note will recognize her accomplishments under the rules at the time.
“We will review and update the Penn women’s swimming records… to indicate who would now hold the records under current eligibility guidelines,” Jameson added.
Penn also agreed to formally apologize to female athletes who lost to Thomas during the 2021-22 season.
“We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage,” said Jameson.
The agreement follows a broader executive order from President Trump banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports and signals a firm stance on biology-based definitions under Title IX.
