The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) came to an agreement Tuesday with the US Department of Education (DOE) in complying with Title IX demands that the school had violated in allowing a male athlete to compete with and against female athletes and share their spaces.
After the conclusion of an investigation in April, the DOE found UPenn guilty of Title IX violations.
“Today is a great victory for women and girls not only at the University of Pennsylvania, but all across our nation,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said of the resolution. “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.”
Paula Scanlan, a swimmer at UPenn who was a teammate of trans-identifying male athlete Lia Thomas, commented on the resolution.
“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,” Scanlan said.
In light of the resolution, Thomas will lose the titles he won while competing as a swimmer at UPenn.
Additionally, Riley Gaines, who competed against Thomas, commended the university’s agreement with the DOE and hopes this will provide a model to other American universities concerning women’s sports.
“It is my hope that [the resolution] demonstrates to educational institutions that they will no longer be allowed to trample upon women’s civil rights, and renews hope in every female athlete that their country’s highest leadership will not relent until they have the dignity, safety, and fairness they deserve,” Gaines stated.
According to the DOE, UPenn signed the Office for Civil Rights’ Resolution Agreement to resolve its Title IX violations. The university is required to complete a series of action items to ensure its compliance with Title IX. A strict adherence to biological male and female definitions, a respect for gender-exclusive spaces, and restoring records to female athletes who were unfairly beaten by male athletes, were among the action items.
Moreover, the university must make a statement that it 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.” This statement must be attached to its women’s athletic webpages. The university must also “send a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer.”
