By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Education Department alleged on Monday that the University of Pennsylvania’s policy on transgender athletes violated federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in programs that receive federal funding.
The Education Department said in a statement it 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 said the university has 10 days to resolve or risk a referral to the U.S. Justice Department for enforcement proceedings.
The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what kind of enforcement actions it sought. The university had 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 remained in full compliance with regulations.
Following President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban transgender athletes from participating in female-only school sports, the NCAA – the governing body for U.S. 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.
Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from educational institutions over a range of issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and culture war topics like climate initiatives, transgender policies and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Rights advocates and some educational institutions such as Harvard University have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the steps taken and demands made by the Trump administration.
Critics say Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes infringed on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes, while supporters of the order say it will restore fairness in women’s sports.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Donna Bryson and David Gregorio)
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