WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Independent Women applauds President Donald J. Trump for pausing over $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) over its inclusion of male athletes in women’s sports. After President Trump was joined by Independent Women ambassadors, staff, and chapter leaders for his historic signing of the Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Executive Order, his administration launched investigations into university Title IX violations, including at the University of Pennsylvania, where male swimmer Lia Thomas was allowed to join its Division I women’s swim team during the 2021-2022 season.
Not only did Thomas smash women’s records—famously tying with Riley Gaines at the 2022 NCAA Championships—but his place on the women’s swim team forced female UPenn swimmers to undress in front of Thomas, a fully intact male, at least 18 times per week in the locker room. By allowing this to continue, the University of Pennsylvania was in clear violation of Title IX, erasing not only women’s equal opportunity, but also their privacy and safety.
Then, after trampling upon women’s rights and accolades, UPenn went so far as to nominate Lia Thomas for the NCAA Woman of the Year award—the highest honor for collegiate female athletes.
President Trump has delivered on his promise to hold universities accountable to his women’s sports executive order. No schools are above the law when it comes to protecting female-only sports. The University of Pennsylvania is now faced with this fact: either comply with the executive order or risk losing federal funding.
Payton McNabb, an ambassador for Independent Women and former high school volleyball player who now suffers permanent injury as the result of a spike by a male competing on an opposing women’s volleyball team, said, “Like me, women have been permanently injured by men playing in girls’ sports. Any school that is allowing this to continue deserves for its funding to be cut. The Trump administration is giving the University of Pennsylvania a dose of reality: There are consequences for violating the law, and when you violate Title IX, you stand to lose money. It’s that simple.”
Adriana McLamb, marketing director for Independent Women, former DI athlete said, “University of Pennsylvania is reaping what they sowed and good on the Trump administration for pausing millions in federal funding over their transgender athletic policy. It is an example and precedent that needs to be set and after what University of Pennsylvania subjected their athletes to in 2022 with Thomas, it is only fitting they are the first of many who will face the repercussions of ignoring Trump’s executive order.”
“Hammers are dropping. The decisive actions taken by the Trump administration explicitly demonstrate that there are consequences for unfair and unjust behavior,” said Victoria Coley, vice president of communications for Independent Women, who President Trump recognized as a champion for women’s sports during the signing of his executive order. “The University of Pennsylvania not only forced their female athletes in the swimming program to accept a male on their team, school administrators coerced the women to undress up to 18 times per week in front of the fully-intact man and even nominated said man as their nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year award, the highest honor for collegiate female athletes. It is deplorable. The school has completely disregarded and disrespected Ivy League and NCAA female athletes. It is imperative that schools heed this warning; there is a new commander in chief in town and federal law protecting women’s equal opportunity in sport has been restored. Men in women’s sports will no longer be tolerated.”
Independent Women Senior Legal Advisor Beth Parlato said, “Comply with the law or suffer the consequences. President Trump means business and he’s not going to tolerate any school willfully violating the law. It is so encouraging to see an administration actually follow through with promises made to the American people, and I’m looking forward to watching each and every school that fails to protect women and girls be held accountable.”