US transgender swimmer stripped of the championship title
Lia Thomas. Photo: USA Today Sports
The University of Pennsylvania has officially stripped titles and records from the transgender athlete competing under the name Lia Thomas, who previously competed in women's swimming events, despite being biologically male.
The decision was made under pressure from federal policy promoted by the President Donald Trump administration, which requires educational institutions to separate male and female sports competitions based on biological sex rather than "gender identity".
In addition to revoking Thomas's sports records, the University will publicly apologize to all biological women who were defeated by the transgender athlete during competitions.
The agreement, which the university signed, also includes a commitment to define male and female according to biological criteria and to publicly commit to no longer allowing biological men to compete in women's sports programs and to not allowing men into women-only facilities.
Lia Thomas caused a public outcry in 2022 when he became the first transgender person to win the NCAA national collegiate championship in the USA in the women's category. This sparked a wave of criticism from female athletes, public figures, and human rights advocates, who insisted on the unfair advantage related to male physiology.
The university's decision is seen as a turning point in the debate between transgender rights and the protection of women's sports. It may lead to similar measures in other educational institutions in the USA and contribute to the resumption of discussions at the international level.
Previously, the UOJ reported that in the USA, "Woman of the Year" was a transgender man.
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