The Decision of the University of Pennsylvania has committed to leaving transgender athletes from its women’s sports teams to sign an agreement with the Trump administration this week, raising questions about whether other schools can face the same with the weight of the federal government.
Penn, President Trump’s Alma Mater, is the firstTo sign such an agreementWhich was proposed by the Civil Rights (OCR) for the office of the Education Department after an investigation in which the university was foundViolation title ixFederal law against sexual discrimination in schools, when he lasted Thomas to join the women’s swimming team for the 2021-22 season.
Thomas broke three of the six -pen women swimming that year and diving the individual freestyle records, which the university removed from its leaderboard as part of its agreement with the Trump administration. A appendix for penWomen’s swimming all-time school recordsNow reads, “Competition under eligibility rules under the impact of that time, Lia Thomas set records of the program in 100, 200 and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season.”
Penn’s agreement with OCR was also required to issue a public statement, which “in a prominent place on its main website,” should be displayed while following the title IX, in which the administration has said that transgender banned girls from girls’ games, and specifies that this transgender would not allow women to participate in women’s game or allow entry into women’s ethnic facilities.
Ivy League Institute was also designed to personally apologize to the former Thomas comrades and adopt “biology-based” definitions of the words “male” and “female”, according to two executive orders, Trump signed in the office during his first weeks-a one who declares AmericaRecognizes only two irreversible sexesAnd telling another federal governmentTransfits the participation of trans athletesIn girls and women’s games.
NCAA, which oversees sports in more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the country,Transgender women forbiddenFrom attending the game of Women’s College soon after signing Trump’s order on Trump athletes. The president of the organization was with Charlie Baker,Testified before a Senate panelLess than 10 known NCAA athletes in December are transgender.
Shivali Patel, director of safe and inclusive schools at the National Women’s Law Center, said, “The Trump administration is doing nothing valid about what is doing here in targeting trans-incredible sports policies.”
Patel said, “I don’t think we should give any validity of any kind – I don’t think the institutions need to sign these resolution agreements.”
InOne letterAddressing the pen community on Tuesday, University President J. Larry Jameson wrote that the school’s commitment to promote a welcome environment for her students is “unbreakable”, but it is also bound by federal requirements, including executive orders and NCAA Eligibility Rules.
“This is a complex issue, and I am happy that we were able to reach a resolution through the standard OCR process for the conclusion of the title IX probe,” he wrote.
Jameson said that Penn never had a transgender student-athlete policy and when Thomas was a student, the federal law and NCAA were in compliance with the rules. But the Trump administration refusal to sign the agreement, “could have been significant and permanent implications to the University of Pennsylvania,” he wrote.
Administration was$ 175 million suspended in federal contractsThree years ago, a pen was awarded in March citing Thomas’s participation in the women’s swimming team. A White House official told The Hill that the money was issued to the university after signing the agreement.
Patel said that she worries about Penn, setting an example for other schools by signing the agreement, despite what she said is to “a clear legal claim” that she was to draw a college or university funding on a college or their trans athletes to challenge the administration.
“I worry that other schools can follow, but I hope they push back,” she said. “If they do not challenge it, I think it is going to think of the Trump administration,” Okay, this is a winable approach, you know, let’s maintain it and be more aggressive. ” I am worried that they will continue on it. ,
Since Trump’s return to Trump in January, the Education Department has opened more than two dozen investigations in states, school districts and athletic associations, saying that transgender students are violating the title IX by allowing students to compete. In April, the department joined the Department of Justice to set up a title IX “Special Investigation Team” with the Department of Justice, either the agency described as “stunning volume” of new complaints.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has also initiated the title IX investigation related to transgender athletes under another Trump Administration, one of whichMen’s status foundIn violation of Federal Civil Rights Act. The investigation was later sent to the Department of Justice, whichA citizen suedAgainst the state education department in April.
The Department of Justice is also investigating California, whose fundingTrump threatens in MayParticipation in a 16-year-old state track-and-field championship.
While many universities have also seen their federal money threatened or frozen by the Trump administration, Penn is the only school so far, which has stopped its funding on handling of transgender athletes.
On different issues, schools have challenged the administration: Horny continues to close in Harvard University and Trump administration.A growing fightIt began in April, when the White HouseMore than $ 2.2 billionHarvard has been refused to implement policies on the refusal of the school in the federal grant that it claims that it is more than the valid rights of the government and a violation of its constitutional rights.
Pen’s compromise with the administration on Tuesday indicates that other schools may not have the desire, or resources to enter the expensive and high-profile litigation with the government. In the risk of losing hundreds of crores in federal financial assistance, they may lack hunger for transgender students to bat.
“No school wants to lose its federal money, so I think we are going to see schools adopting more restrictive eligibility policies around the participation of transgender athletes, especially in states that already have laws that exclude trans athlete participation,” advice schools in different consultations.
Since 2020, the states led by twenty -seven Republicans have adopted laws that prevent students from competing in accordance with their gender identity.For agitation progress projectWhich tracks LGBTQ laws.
Court orders are stopping six of them, Erizona, Idaho, Utah and West Virginia, being effective, and a narrow decision in New Hampshire allows only two students to challenge the law to continue competition on girls’ sports teams. A federal judge allowed two high school studentsTo expand their legal challengeTo include Trump administration in February.
“Right now, if you are following the industry, you can see that there is a clear division,” Rrenolds said. “Some schools, such as the school in California or Main, seem to be resistant to federal pressure to restrict trans athletes. Perhaps a partition is going to occur until some court cases that are now happening, they start resolving themselves.”
On Thursday, Supreme CourtAgreed to weighDuring their next term, whether the state laws that ban transgender athletes of girls and women’s school sports teams violate the same security segment as IX and the 14th Amendment. The orthodox majority of the court ruled last month that a Tennessi law is banning gender-suit care for minors.Does not violateDiscrimination based on US Constitution or Sex or Transgender Status.
