On Tuesday, the Department of Education announced that the University of Pennsylvania agreed to resolve Title IX violations involving Will “Lia” Thomas, the male swimmer who masqueraded as a woman and robbed female athletes of awards and opportunities.
Thomas competed against women in the 2021-2022 season after he competed as a male for three consecutive years. Of course, he wasn’t a stellar athlete when he competed against men. That all changed when he competed against women. Thomas, who is over 6 feet tall, shamelessly competed against women all the way through to the NCAA championships.
When President Donald Trump took office, he vowed to make sure schools complied with his Title IX policy, which outlines that men and women who identify as transgender cannot compete on teams that align with their “gender identity” instead of their biological sex.
UPenn’s deal with the Trump administration involves the school stripping Thomas’ records, titles, and so forth (via ED.gov):
UPenn has signed OCR’s Resolution Agreement to resolve its Title IX violations, which requires UPenn to undertake the following action items:
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.
“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, 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,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
“Today is a great victory for women and girls not only at the University of Pennsylvania, but all across our nation. The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” she added.
Common sense won today—a major victory for women and girls nationwide!@Penn has agreed to apologize and comply with Title IX, thanks to @POTUS’s leadership and dedication to protecting women’s sports at the University and for future generations.https://t.co/kCaeHn84dG
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) July 1, 2025
Women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines, who competed and tied against Thomas at the NCAA championships, reacted to the news.
"From day one, President Trump and Secretary McMahon made it clear that protecting women and girls is a top priority—and today’s agreement with UPenn is proof of that commitment in action,” Gaines said.
"This Administration isn’t just talking about women’s equality, but instead actively defending it. I hope this sends a clear message to educational institutions: you can no longer disregard women’s civil rights. And to every female athlete, know this: your dignity, safety, and fairness matter, and our nation’s leaders will not stop fighting for them," she added.
Now, Gaines is host of the Gaines for Girls podcast, where she highlights egregious situations similar to what she experienced.
Paula Scanlan, a sexual assault survivor who was forced to share a locker room with Thomas, chimed in.
“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,” Scanlan, former UPenn swimmer, said. “Today marks a momentous step in repairing the past mistreatment of female athletes, and forging a future where sex discrimination plays no role in limiting girls’ potential.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member