Transgender Unfairness in Sport Competition ... University of Pennsylvania

"The University will not -- on the basis of sex -- exclude female students from participation in, deny female students the benefits of, or subject female students to discrimination  under, any athletic programs." 

"In addition, in providing to female student-athletes intimate facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms in connection with Penn Athletics, such facilities shall be strictly separated on the basis of sex and comparably provided to each sex."

University of Pennsylvania reversal statement 

 

"We expect to continue to engage with OCR [U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights], to vigorously defending our position." March 2025

"[The University was only following the rules in effect at that time, but is now prepared to] apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect." June 2025

Penn President Larry Jameson 

University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks to her coach after winning the 500 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on January 22, 2022.

Josh Reynolds/AP

 

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is investigating a school in Denver where a female restroom was converted to an all-gender restroom in an institution where boys have the privilege of exclusive use of a male restroom. Academia was able to practise such 'gender-affirming' absurdities under the previous Biden-led Democratic government, but now that Donald Trump sits in the White House his pledge to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion politics and make use of Title IX (prevention of sex discrimination in education) in supporting women's rights is in effect.

 

Penn university had been advised by the Education Department of a threat levied against it, to withhold $175 million in federal funds until such time as the university complied with the law. Leading the university to change its mind over contesting the OCR ruling and comply with two executive orders from Trump. 1) Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal government which decries "efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex", which deprives women "of their dignity safety and well-being".

 

2) Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports: "it shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women's sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth." The civil rights case has thus been settled through the university apologizing to female athletes who were 'disadvantaged' by controversial transgender athlete Lia Thomas whom the university permitted to compete against female swimmers. Furthermore the university committed to restoring individual records and titles to female athletes who lost to Thomas.

 

University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas competes in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in 2022.  Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images file

 

Males will no longer be allowed to compete in female athletic programs, with the university prepared to adopt a 'biology-based' definition of male and female. The University of Pennsylvania celebrated its transgender credentials when it allowed Thomas to compete against female athletes. He originally gained a pathetic ranking of 554th in the 200 men's freestyle in the 2018-19 season competing as a male among other males. When he transitioned to female his utter lack of distinguishing himself as a competitive athlete underwent a gratifying transition when he became one of the top-ranked female swimmers in that event. And no one blinked an eye?

 

At the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association championships Thomas finished fifth in the women's 200 freestyle and eighth in the women's 100 freestyle. Complaints did emerge over the transgender athlete's competing against women, as well as his use of female locker rooms. The transitioned male-to-female athlete is now, however, refused competitive events against biological women, a change in orientation honouring the law so that the university is now assured of having its funding restored. 

 

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas will not be allowed to compete in the Olympics. (Source: AP Photos, DCC Gray News)

 

An NHL-LGBTQ+ Turning Point?

"It's definitely fair to say that this political landscape is  helping to sort of normalize people for opting out of the optional ways that they have been asked to show support for marginalized members of society."

Hudson Taylor, executive director, founder, Athlete Ally

"The laws that are being passed, the players not participating, all exist within the same kind of ecosphere."

"They all exist within this larger anti-LGBTQ discourse which I think we are often very quick to point out about other countries and maybe less so to think about how that's affecting things in the United States."

Evan Brody, associate professor, research on LGBTQ+ spaces in sports, University of Kentucky

 

"[Between the players opting out and the team decisions the league will] evaluate [in the off-season how it handles Pride nights moving forward; the refusals are a distraction from] the substance of what our teams and we have been doing and stand for."

"[The NHL, teams and players] overwhelmingly [support Pride nights]."

"Some players choose to make choices that they are free to make. That doesn't mean they don't respect other people and their beliefs and their lifestyles and who they are."

"It just means they don't want to endorse it by wearing uniforms that they are not comfortable wearing."

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

"I don't think the LGBTQ community should feel that NHL hockey players are turning their back on that community."

"A super-majority of players have worn the jersey."

NHL Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh

Calgary Flames wear Pride jerseys in warmups on March 28.

NHLI via Getty Images

To the present, the NHL has been a leader among sports leagues and teams mounting Pride nights in solidarity with and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. In the process they sell tickets to them. These visibility-raising events include special jerseys designed by LGBTQ+ artists along with performances, information tables and drag performances on occasion. All of which have been well received both by the public and the teams involved.

Recently a slight change has been noticed with a handful of NHL players opting out of wearing rainbow-coloured jerseys on team Pride nights which led the league's commissioner to explain that the change is leading to a need to reconsider staging of these events. A situation that has caused consternation among the LGBTQ+ community as well as among their supporters and fans of the events.

Interpreted as a sign that restrictions have arisen in reflection of a new political climate leading to the questioning of expression, health care and transgender sports participation both in the U.S. and internationally, threatening events meant to be entertaining and enjoyable. It is troubling to Athlete Ally, an organization working with teams and leagues for LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

 

A screen displays "Blackhawks Pride Night" before a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago on March 26. Nam Y. Huh / AP

 

Three NHL teams, the Blackhawks, the Rangers and the Wild, that previously wore rainbow warm-ups declined to do so any longer. No NHL players previously had opted out of Pride events.  The changes coincide with the U.S. Republican lawmakers pursuing numerous proposals to push back on LGBTQ+, particularly transgender rights. 

International sports governing bodies are also involved in instituting policies to ban all trans athlete from competing in track and field to effectively ban transwomen from women's swimming events. In all fairness it makes no sense to welcome transwomen in competition with biological women for obvious reasons; the strength acquired through the natural biological processes during the preteen, teen and more mature years that biological males are endowed with render a transwoman a formidable opponent.

Russian players in particular, influenced by measures put into law in Russia against LGBTQ 'propaganda' made a criminal offence. Russian players fear a backlash for their family members in Russia, should they be implicated in advancing the case of normalizing multiple genders. 

Vancouverites react to Canucks winger Andrei Kuzmenko opting not to wear the Pride night warm-up jersey.  CBC