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As the current administration’s crackdown on transgender athletes continues, Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete, has had her titles stripped by a US university. President Donald Trump has been vocal about his ideas on gender.
His administration has successfully gone ahead with plans to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it is in agreement with the idea.
Some cis gendered female athletes have taken a stand against this decision. Athletes in fencing and disc golf are part of this protest, as they say neither of these sports has any real advantage based on gender.
After a federal investigation, Lia Thomas, a 26-year-old, was banned from UPenn as well. The university also apologized to athletes who had previously lost titles to Thomas. They revoked Thomas’ titles, and their website has now recognized participants who have won in her place.
The website now says, “Competing under eligibility rules in effect at the time, Lia Thomas set program records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season.”
President of the University, J. Larry Jameson said, “While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules. We recognise this and will apologise to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
There were also letters personally written sent to athletes who competed against Thomas. Jameson shared with them that the school had followed changes to the policy, which earlier this year had undergone major changes as Donald Trump started his second Presidential term.
The NCAA changed its policy for transgender athletes in February, which limits competitions in women’s sports to women who are assigned female at birth.
Jameson shared, “Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering. At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.”
Linda McMahon, education secretary, has called this change a victory for women and girls, in a statement she issued.
She said, “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 (the prohibition of sex-based discrimination in schools or educational establishments) proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law.”
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