Penn Agrees to Limit Participation of Transgender Athletes

U.S.|Penn Agrees to Limit Participation of Transgender Athletes

The University of Pennsylvania said on Tuesday that it had struck a deal with the federal government that will limit how transgender people may participate in its athletic programs, bowing to the Trump administration’s new interpretation of the law that bans sex discrimination in education.

The government also said the Ivy League school had pledged to “adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female’” that comply with the Trump administration’s reading of Title IX and a pair of executive orders that the president issued this year.

The agreement was tied to a civil rights investigation, conducted by the Department of Education, of a transgender woman’s participation on Penn’s women’s swim team three years ago. In April, the Education Department said that Penn’s support for the swimmer, Lia Thomas, had violated the law governing sex discrimination in most educational settings.

Penn’s president, J. Larry Jameson, noted in a statement on Tuesday that the university had been in compliance with the interpretation of federal law that was in effect when Ms. Thomas swam there. But he said that the Trump administration’s inquiry had left Penn vulnerable to “significant and lasting implications,” a reference to the possibility of a loss of federal funding.

“Penn remains committed to fostering a community that is welcoming, inclusive and open to all students, faculty and staff,” Dr. Jameson said. “I share this commitment, just as I remain dedicated to preserving and advancing the university’s vital and enduring mission.”

Linda McMahon, the education secretary, said in a statement that the agreement was “a great victory for women and girls not only at the University of Pennsylvania, but all across our nation.” She praised the university for “rectifying its past harms against women and girls.”