The Trump administration has announced a pause on $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania, citing objections to the institution’s policies regarding transgender athletes. This latest development underscores the continuing national debate over transgender participation in collegiate sports.
Central to this controversy is Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete whose participation in Penn’s women’s swim team during the 2021-2022 academic year attracted national attention. Thomas made history in 2022 as the first transgender athlete to claim a championship title in NCAA swimming. However, her victory sparked significant backlash and intensified debates over transgender participation in collegiate sports.
According to a White House announcement shared publicly on X, the administration argues that Penn’s policies allow transgender women—whom they referred to as men—to compete against women, resulting in unfair conditions. The administration cited a recent executive order from President Trump that explicitly bars transgender women and girls from competing in female sports categories. Trump’s order asserts that allowing transgender women in women’s sports creates inequalities by denying cisgender women fair opportunities for competition.
The executive order states that federal funds will be rescinded from educational programs that the administration believes deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities or privacy, or expose them to perceived humiliation or danger. Although the University of Pennsylvania has yet to officially comment on this funding freeze, the financial pause was not directly tied to a separate Title IX investigation into Thomas’ involvement in athletics.
This recent development follows a lawsuit filed by three former Penn swimmers against their university, Harvard University, the Ivy League, and the NCAA. The suit alleges that allowing Thomas to compete on the women’s swim team violated Title IX protections. Title IX is a federal law that ensures protection against sex-based discrimination within education programs and institutions receiving federal financial assistance.
Senior administration officials clarified the current funding freeze resulted from decisions by the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services. They explained the move as a proactive measure to review discretionary funding streams provided to institutions like UPenn. However, specific details regarding the exact purpose of this discretionary funding remain undisclosed.
The broader implications of Trump’s executive order have sparked legal challenges nationwide. In New Hampshire, two transgender students, Parker Tirrell and Iris, successfully expanded their legal challenge against a state law banning trans girls from participating in girls’ sports to include opposition to Trump’s federal order. In this case, a federal judge allowed the students to participate on their high school soccer and tennis teams as litigation continues.
Beyond collegiate sports, the Trump administration has systematically rolled back previous protections instituted during the Biden presidency. These policies previously permitted transgender students to engage in school sports teams and utilize facilities aligned with their gender identities. Trump’s broader policies have also targeted transgender individuals in other sectors, including restricting military service and limiting access to gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Courts have temporarily halted the implementation of these last two measures.
Advocacy organizations, notably GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, argue that these Trump administration measures systematically target transgender communities, particularly impacting young individuals navigating vulnerable phases of life.
As the national discourse continues to intensify, the University of Pennsylvania remains at the center of the debate, highlighting tensions surrounding transgender rights, federal policy, and the future of equity in American collegiate sports.