The University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender women from women's sports teams to settle a federal civil rights case related to Title IX violations. The case involved swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed as the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title. As part of the agreement, Penn will restore swimming titles to affected female athletes and issue apology letters. Additionally, Penn will adopt biology-based definitions of male and female, with implications for future athletic policies.
Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost out to Thomas, the Education Department said. Penn also agreed to send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers.
The university must also announce that it 'will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs,' and it must adopt 'biology-based' definitions of male and female, the department said.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls. '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,' McMahon said in a statement.
The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education.
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