The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to restore swimming records set by Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete who competed for the school in 2022, as part of a federal civil rights case settlement. Under the agreement, Penn will send personalized apology letters to female athletes who lost to Thomas and announce that it will adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female. The university has also agreed not to allow males to compete in female athletic programs.
In April, the Education Department found that Penn had violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete on the women’s swimming team despite being a biological male. As part of the settlement, Penn will modify its records to reflect that Thomas competed under eligibility rules in effect at the time and will acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules.
The Education Secretary praised the agreement, calling it a victory for women and girls. Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines expressed her support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to address the issue, writing “Are pigs flying?” on social media. The NCAA has updated its record books to reflect changes in eligibility rules but did not respond to requests seeking comment.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/upenn-lia-thomas-swimmer-transgender-athletes-trump-71720ecbeb8493ddbed539dd61995076