The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to exclude transgender athletes from its women's sports teams, as part of a settlement reached with the US federal government, following an open civil rights case.
The decision marks the end of a legal battle launched by Lia Thomas, a 26-year-old former swimmer who came out as transgender in 2018 and competed in the women's category after hormone treatment.
She won the American College Championships in 2022 and still holds three swimming records (100 m, 200 m and 500 m freestyle).
In an official statement, University President Larry Jameson said: “We will review and update Penn women’s swimming records to align with current eligibility rules.”
He added that the university is aware of the impact that the previous policy has had on sports competition:
"We apologize to anyone who has been disadvantaged or experienced distress as a result of these rules."
The university's decision comes after the U.S. Department of Education found that allowing Thomas to compete in women's events violated Title IX, a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in educational and athletic programs.
Earlier, in March, Donald Trump's administration cut off $175 million in federal funding for the university and signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports at educational institutions, reports tch.
In June 2022, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) ruled that transgender athletes would only be allowed to compete if they had not gone through male puberty.
This decision was confirmed in 2024 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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