Week in review: Trump seeks to dismantle Dept. of Education; EEOC warns DEI may violate civil rights
3. Administration to pause funding to the University of Pennsylvania over Lia Thomas
This week, the Trump administration confirmed its intention to suspend $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over the Ivy League school's "policies forcing women to compete with men in sports."
In an email, White House officials lamented that "UPenn infamously permitted a male to compete on its women's swimming team, overturning multiple records hard-earned by women and granting the fully intact male access to the locker room."
Officials indicated that the suspension of funds is not "the result of the Title IX investigation launched by the Department of Education" into UPenn and other schools for allowing trans-identified males to compete in women's sports. Instead, the move is an "immediate proactive action to review discretionary funding streams" for the school.
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The suspended funding comes from the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services.
Lia (Will) Thomas, a trans-identified male athlete who competed on the men's swimming team at the school for three years, was allowed to compete on the women's swimming team and won the 2022 NCAA National Championship in the women's 500 freestyle. Thomas also broke women's swimming records.
Female athletes reported experiencing "extreme discomfort" about having to share a locker room with the athlete, who still had fully intact male genitalia.
Three female swimmers filed a lawsuit against the Ivy League school and the NCAA after they had to compete against and share a locker room with Thomas.
Trump has also signed an executive order establishing it as the policy of the U.S. to withhold federal funds from schools that allow trans-identified males to compete in women's sports.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
