The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has submitted to transgender athlete mandates by the Trump administration. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found that UPenn had violated Title IX protections by “allowing a male to compete in female athletic programs and occupy female-only intimate facilities.” As part of the agreement, UPenn athlete Lia Thomas, a biological man competing in female swimming, was stripped of his titles. Those titles will then be given to female athletes who lost to Thomas while the university will also issue a formal apology to every biological female competitor who lost. The university will also adopt “biology-based definitions for ‘male’ and ‘female’ under Title IX.”

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon celebrated the agreement. “Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes,” she said in a statement. “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.”

Penn President J. Larry Jameson offered a waffling apology for the university’s past policies. “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,” he said. “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.” Records on UPenn’s site have been adjusted, along with an annotation that states, “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.” The University insists it was just following NCAA guidelines and did not have its own policy regarding transgender athletes. “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,” Jameson said. Thomas has not commented on the changes.