The University of Pennsylvania has reached an agreement with the Trump administration on Title IX:
The University of Pennsylvania will retroactively strip transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of her [sic] records and titles as part of a deal with the Education Department to abide by bans on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Thomas, for what it is worth, is a sinister figure.
Thomas was the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022, but the Trump administration threatened to withhold $175 million in federal funds unless the school barred transgender athletes from women’s sports.
News outlets like to portray this as a mere exercise of political power by the Trump administration. In fact, the administration’s position is that allowing men to compete in women’s sports, and allowing men access to women’s showers, etc., constitutes discrimination against women in academic programs that is barred by Title IX. So the administration is enforcing federal law. I think this position is correct, and most likely will be endorsed by the federal courts in due course.
Moving forward, the university will not allow trans athletes to compete in correspondence with their gender identity.
There is no such thing as “gender identity.” The whole “identity” scam, in all its manifestations, is factually incorrect and is, or should be, a legal nullity.
“Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,” university president J. Larry Jameson said in a statement.
“At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.”
The NCAA eligibility rules are of course critical. The NCAA has revised its policies to prohibit men (“individuals assigned male at birth,” a brain-dead formulation) from competing in women’s divisions. So Penn’s announcement is newsworthy because of the Lia Thomas factor, but all other schools, or virtually all, will be doing the same thing.
Men in women’s sports is not the world’s biggest issue, but it is important because it exemplifies the conflict between reality and woke fantasy. Historians may someday write that this was an important battleground where the fantasy world of the Left was turned back. If so, Riley Gaines will deserve a special place of honor. Her campaign to defend women’s sports is one of the best examples of citizen activism of our time. Congratulations, Riley!
