by The Trump administration is doing more to stop transgender athletes from playing in women’s sports, and many women who have been affected by this are coming out in support.
As per the updates from the FOX Business exclusively on Wednesday that the administration cut $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania because it allowed transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. Many of the women who had to compete with former transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas have spoken out in support of the funding stop.
A group of three former Penn teammates, Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski, and Ellen Holmquist, praised the Trump administration’s move in a statement sent to Fox News Digital by the Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS).
“We are so glad that Universities are beginning to see that there is a cost to openly harming female students on their campuses and we hope the pressure only increases. Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women,” the statement read.
Furthermore…
“They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes. Every woman on a college campus and under NCAA regulations should be assured of Title IX protections. Institutions that disregard the well-being of women have to understand they don’t get to rewrite or ignore federal protections that women rely on.”
In a statement, a university spokesperson said UPenn has not received any “official notification” of the funding pause, and added that the university was and is in “full compliance” with NCAA and Ivy League policies.
“We are aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn, but have not yet received any official notification or any details. It is important to note, however, that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams. We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply to not only Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.”
Three former UPenn swimmers—Estabrook, Kaczorowski, and Holmquist—have filed a lawsuit against the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League, and the NCAA. The lawsuit challenges the institutions’ handling of Lia Thomas’ participation in women’s swimming and seeks to revoke all of Thomas’ accolades in the women’s category.
The plaintiffs argue that allowing Thomas to compete violated federal law and caused them harm.
Thomas, who previously competed on the UPenn men’s swimming team from 2017 to 2020 under the name Will Thomas, transitioned to competing in the women’s division. At the 2022 Ivy League Swimming Championships, Thomas secured first place in the 500-, 200-, and 100-yard freestyle events, setting multiple records and becoming the highest-scoring swimmer of the meet.
According to the lawsuit, women’s swimming head coach Mike Schnur introduced Thomas as a new teammate during a team meeting in Fall 2019. When female swimmers inquired about locker room arrangements, Schnur allegedly assured them that Thomas would not share their space.
However, by Fall 2021—when Thomas began officially training and competing with the women’s team—the swimmers claim they discovered this was not the case.
“When UPenn’s women’s swimmers returned to school in the fall of 2021 they were shocked to discover that Thomas was being allowed to use the women’s locker room at UPenn and would be allowed to use the women’s locker room at swim meets,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Margot [Kaczorowski] only learned that Thomas had been authorized by UPenn to use the women’s locker room when [Kaczorowski] walked in the women’s locker room to find Thomas in front of her changing his clothing.”
The plaintiffs claim that university officials pressured them to accept pro-trans beliefs while integrating Thomas into the team. They also allege that their concerns about competing alongside Thomas were dismissed as a “psychological problem.”
Discover how Shannon Bream’s move to Fox News Sunday is reshaping the network’s political coverage. From breaking headlines to in-depth analysis, see why her transition is making waves!
“The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas’s participation on the UPenn Women’s team, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LBGTQ center,” the lawsuit alleges.
“The administrators also invited the women to a talk titled, ‘Trans 101.’ Thus, the women were led to understand that UPenn’s position was that if a woman on the team had any problem with a trans-identifying male being on her team that woman had a psychological problem and needed counseling.”
As Fox News Digital said before, the Department of Education started an official probe into possible Title IX violations that happened at UPenn in February.
The results of that study are now becoming clear.
