US demands UPenn strip transgender athletes of women’s sports awards or face enforcement steps

The US Education Department alleges that the University of Pennsylvania’s policy on transgender athletes violates federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in programs that receive federal funding.

The Education Department says in a statement that it has proposed a resolution agreement to the university under which the Ivy League school would issue a statement saying it will comply with federal law, transfer records and awards won by transgender athletes to athletes assigned female at birth, and issue a letter of apology to the female athletes.

The department says the university has 10 days to resolve or risk a referral to the US Justice Department for enforcement proceedings.

The Education Department does not immediately respond to a request for comment on what kind of enforcement actions it seeks. The university has no immediate comment.

The university, which made national headlines in 2022 when a transgender swimmer competed on its women’s team, has previously said it “has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams,” and remains in full compliance with regulations.

Following US President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban transgender athletes from participating in female-only school sports, the NCAA — the governing body for US collegiate sports — updated its rules to limit competition in female-only competitions to athletes assigned female at birth.

Last month, Trump’s administration suspended $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its transgender sports policies.

This month, the administration sued Maine over the same issue. Maine argues that federal law does not prohibit transgender girls in women’s sports.