Penn violated Title IX by allowing Lia Thomas to compete on women’s team, federal investigation finds

The U.S. Department of Education has determined that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX by allowing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete on its women's team during the 2021–22 season. 

This decision, announced on Monday, follows an investigation by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which concluded that Penn's actions denied female athletes equal opportunities in athletics and access to women-only facilities.

The OCR's findings center on Thomas, who became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in 2022. The department asserts that Penn's policies permitted a male athlete to compete in women's intercollegiate athletics and occupy women-only intimate facilities, thereby violating federal anti-discrimination laws tied to sex-based protections for federally funded programs.

As part of the proposed resolution, the Department of Education has outlined several corrective actions for Penn to undertake within ten days:

• Issue a public statement affirming compliance with Title IX in all athletic programs.
• Rescind any awards, records, or honors achieved by Thomas in Division I swimming competitions.
• Apologize to each female athlete whose individual recognition is restored, acknowledging the impact of the university's previous policies.

Failure to comply may result in enforcement proceedings by the U.S. Department of Justice and the potential loss of federal funding. 

In March, the Trump administration had already suspended approximately $175 million in federal funding to Penn over its decision to allow Thomas to compete.

Penn has previously maintained that it adhered to NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams during Thomas's tenure. The NCAA's guidelines at the time allowed transgender athletes to compete in women's sports if they had completed at least one year of hormone replacement therapy. 

However, following a February, 2025 executive order by President Trump banning transgender participation in women's sports, the NCAA revised its policy to permit only athletes assigned female at birth to participate in women's sports.

The case has garnered national attention, with debates intensifying over the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. Three former Penn swimmers have filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging that Thomas's participation deprived them of equal opportunities and caused emotional distress.