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The U.S. Department of Education has found that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX by allowing trans athlete Lia Thomas to compete on the women’s swim team, it announced Monday.
A pair of former UPenn women’s swimmers who went through the experience of sharing a pool and locker room with Thomas opened up on what the recent declaration by President Donald Trump’s administration means to them.
Conservative influencer Paula Scanlan, who was one of the first of Thomas’ teammates to speak up against the school, told Fox News Digital that the news “excited” her, but she is also skeptical of its impact.
“I was excited to hear that the Department of Education is cracking down on the University of Pennsylvania. Ultimately, though, I’m skeptical that my alma mater will take meaningful action. They have had years to address this issue and apologize to the female athletes affected, yet they have chosen not to,” Scanlan said.
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University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, left, and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Fellow former UPenn women’s swimmer Grace Estabrook told Fox News Digital that she hopes further and more severe action is taken.
“I am grateful to this administration for their leadership on these matters, and I hope to see accountability soon for everyone who stood by while male athletes deprived us female athletes of our opportunities and violated our rights in our locker room.
“I am grateful the federal government has found Penn to have violated Title IX, just as we told Penn in the 2021-2022 season when they required us to shower with, and compete against, a man. The government’s finding of sex discrimination by Penn is an important first step, but the protection of female athletes cannot stop here. Women must be protected by a bulletproof policy that completely removes men from our sports and from entering our locker rooms,” Estabrook said.
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“Future generations of girls and women must be safeguarded against the hideous emotional and sexual harassment that my teammates and I endured at Penn. The current policy which Penn and the NCAA are now trying to use to cover their tracks and put this issue behind them is inept, and it continues to leave women vulnerable. I and my teammates who are suing Penn, Harvard, the Ivy League, and the NCAA, will not be appeased by half measures that fail to fully protect women.”
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights said it will give the university 10 days to be in compliance with Title IX or risk facing a criminal referral to the Justice Department. The compliance would include issuing a statement on its intention to follow Title IX along with two other key actions.
“Restore to all female athletes all individual athletic records, titles, honors, awards or similar recognition for Division I swimming competitions misappropriated by male athletes competing in female categories.
“Send a letter to each female athlete whose individual recognition is restored expressing an apology on behalf of the University for allowing her educational experience in athletics to be marred by sex discrimination.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Pennsylvania for comment.
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The university is currently being sued by Estabrook and two of her other former teammates, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, over the Thomas situation.
The lawsuit also names the Ivy League and the NCAA, citing their experience with Thomas and the institutions’ handling of the situation. The suit also seeks to have all of Thomas’ accolades in the women’s category rescinded.
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