UPenn Falls in Line — Bans Men from Women’s Sports Teams, Restores Women’s Records, and Apologizes to Them

All we needed was a new president…

The University of Pennsylvania has fallen in line with the changing times. After permitting a man calling himself Lia Thomas to compete on the women’s swimming team, UPenn will return to women-only sports teams, restore women’s records, and apologize to the women affected by the outlandish policy of allowing men to endanger female athletes and steal their victories.

UPenn broke federal law when it allowed Thomas, pretending to be a woman and looking ridiculous in a women’s bathing suit, to join the women’s team. Title IX guarantees girls and women equal opportunity in sports in schools and educational programs that receive federal dollars. A man on a women’s team not only violates the law but the mocks the spirit of the law. And all of those administrators knew it.

But it’s a new day in America. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February banning men from playing on women’s sports teams or entering their private facilities. Institutions that don’t fall in line will lose all of that federal money.

Linda McMahon, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, said on Fox News that she hopes the agreement the Trump administration signed with UPenn will be a template for other universities.

“It’s an utter triumph for President Trump and for the administration, but mostly for the women and girls who will come behind the Riley Gaineses and the Paula Scanlans and others.”

Gaines, who also appeared on the Fox News segment with Secretary McMahon, is an outspoken advocate for fairness in women’s sports. She was on the University of Kentucky swim team and competed against Thomas in the 2022 NCAA swimming championship.

UPenn is responsible for Thomas ending up competing against women at the championship. He won the 500-yard freestyle race but threw the other races. Gaines tied for fifth place with Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle. He easily could have won all the races had he not thrown two of them for optics.

Gaines testified before a congressional committee that some of her teammates changed in a janitor’s closet to avoid changing in front of Thomas.

Paula Scanlan, Thomas’s former teammate at UPenn, wrote on X: “okay, but is anyone going to apologize for forcing us to undress with him 18 times a week?”

This is a very important question in the context of an apology, and UPenn should specifically include this.

Gaines said on Fox News that so many people reprimanded women for daring to speak out about men on women’s sports teams. These women know what’s right and wrong. They are vindicated.

No one really thinks UPenn cares about fairness for women in sports. Regardless of the motive, women will get to compete only with other women. They will face fairer competition, and taller, larger, stronger, faster men will not steal their victories or put them in danger.