UPenn Bows to Trump’s Transphobic Pressure – Lia Thomas Erased
The latest institution to bow to Donald Trump’s transphobic pressure is UPenn (University of Pennsylvania). The Trump-UPenn conflict first began in 2022 with Lia Thomas—the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I swimming title—who is now facing the erasure of her athletic achievements.
A few weeks ago, after months of constant attacks towards the LGBTQIA+ community, the newly-reelected Trump administration officially declared June as “Title IX Month,” thereby withdrawing the previous governmental endorsement of Pride Month. Title IX of the Education Amendments—enacted in 1972—is a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in all educational programs and activities receiving federal funding. By invoking the pretext of “defending women”, this administration uses an ill-defined notion of “liberty” to justify transphobic discrimination, violence and political pressure.
Donald Trump signing the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. Ph.: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
UPenn Bows to Trump’s Transphobic Pressure – Lia Thomas’s Records Officially Erased
As of July 1, 2025, The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has officially removed all of Lia Thomas’s records from the 2021–22 season—including her titles in the 100, 200, and 500-yard freestyle events—and barred transgender women from its women’s sports teams. This move follows a resolution agreement with the Trump administration, settling a Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. As part of the agreement, UPenn has also promised to send personalized apology letters to the female athletes impacted.
Earlier this year on February 6, the NCAA revised its participation policy in response to Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. Effective immediately, only athletes “assigned female at birth” may compete in women’s events. Although Lia Thomas had complied with previous policies—having completed over two years of testosterone suppression—this new retroactive rule disqualifies her prior eligibility.
Lia Thomas
The Trump-era settlement aligns with the two executive orders—“Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism” and “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”—that redefine “male” and “female” based strictly on biological sex assigned at birth.
Federal Pressure on UPenn
Before UPenn’s decision, the Department of Education had temporarily frozen $175 million in federal funding amid concerns over Title IX violations. After months of further pressure, UPenn agreed to the overhaul of its policies, removal of Thomas’s records, and compliance with federal definitions of sex to restore funding.
Ban advancement amid criticism
The move has sparked fierce criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and legal groups. Shannon Minter of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights called UPenn’s decision “embarrassing, dangerous and ill‑advised” during an ABC News interview, likening the federal pressure to “extortion”.
Meanwhile, conservative voices like former swimmer Riley Gaines—who recently hinted at a possible political career—praised the resolution, calling it a landmark for safeguarding women’s sports. Earlier in February, the Georgia House of Representatives passed the “Riley Gaines Act,” a law banning trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports across the state.
Against this backdrop, hundreds of cases of discrimination against transgender, intersex, and non-binary people are currently under review in the judicial system. Just a few weeks ago in Boston, federal judge Julia Kobick ruled that the Trump administration cannot limit gender markers on passports to only “F” or “M,” affirming applicants’ right to request the “X” marker as well.
The next potential fronts of this backlash include bans on transgender people in the military and restrictions on bathroom access. In sports, last Thursday the Supreme Court heard cases involving two transgender student-athletes—Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox—whose participation in girls’ teams triggered legal challenges. A ruling is expected next summer, NBC reports.
IOC’s Response on TIN participation
Kirsty Coventry upon becoming new IOC President / IOC MEDIA
IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the first woman as well as the first African-born person to hold the position (though white), has vowed to safeguard women’s categories through a “scientific approach.” Citing the cases of Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics 2024, she said that her task force will develop policies based on recent high-profile cases. While acknowledging the complexity of the current scenario and stating that the IOC will not review any past wins or losses, she added that “We will look forward. The members present asked: ‘What are we learning from the past, and how will we use it to move forward?”
As we already know, Imane Khelif was born a woman, grew up and socialized as a woman in a country (Algeria), where trans people have NO protection, let alone participation at the Olympics. As we previously stated, this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that hyperandrogenic or intersex athletes face discrimination and exclusion. Very similar stories happened to athletes such as Caster Semenya (South Africa) or Dutee Chand (India).
Erasure of Queer Representation
This wave of policy changes reflects the troubling trend of rapid reversals in queer visibility.
But since hating on LGBTQIA+ people (especially if transgender/intersex/non-binary and of color) won’t make women’s sports any less underfunded, underrepresented, or undervalued, we should ask ourselves some questions:
How long will this anti-trans crusade persist—especially when it claims to “protect cisgender women”, who already suffer from systemic sexism and pay disparities, definitely not caused by transgender, intersex and non-binary people wanting to use the bathroom?
How can it be that trans people are simultaneously too strong to compete in sports and too weak to serve in the military, or too unfit for politics?
And how far will the sporting world—led by Coventry and others—go to preserve perceived fairness?
Targeted actions against trans, non-binary or intersex (TIN) athletes has grown into a global campaign to exclude such minorities from sports, rewrite achievements, and suppress queer visibility—with possible global consequences for inclusion in athletics and beyond.
Barring TIN people from sports competitions won’t make women’s sports any less underfunded, underrepresented, or undervalued. Don’t fall for it.