The Trump administration is coming for trans athletes—again. This time, the University of Pennsylvania is caught in the crossfire. The White House just announced it’s hitting the pause button on $175 million in federal funding to the university, citing its trans-inclusive sports policies as the reason.
The move comes on the heels of an executive order that bans transgender women and girls from competing in female sports—an order that refers to trans women as “men” and claims their participation is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous.” Now, UPenn finds itself at the center of Trump’s crusade, with the administration claiming the Ivy League school is “forcing women to compete with men.”
A spokesperson for UPenn responded to the funding freeze with a shrug, stating that the university has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student-athlete participation. The school insists it’s in full compliance with existing regulations—something that applies to every NCAA-affiliated institution. But in Trump’s America, facts rarely get in the way of a good political stunt.
The administration’s attack on UPenn is directly linked to Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who made history in 2022 as the first trans woman to win an NCAA championship. Thomas has been the right wing’s favorite punching bag ever since, with conservative media relentlessly misgendering her and even publishing pre-transition photos to fuel the outrage machine.
If there was any doubt that Trump’s policy is about punishing trans people rather than protecting women’s sports, look no further than the administration’s broader agenda. Trump’s executive orders have already rolled back protections for trans student-athletes, banned trans people from serving openly in the military, and attempted to restrict gender-affirming care for anyone under 19. The message is clear: if you’re trans, your existence is up for debate—and your rights are up for grabs.
For LGBTQ+ athletes, the implications of this funding freeze are chilling. If the federal government can strip millions from a major university over a trans-inclusive policy, what’s stopping it from doing the same to public schools, scholarship programs, or entire athletic conferences? UPenn might be the first, but it certainly won’t be the last.
At the heart of this battle is Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. Three former Penn swimmers have already filed a lawsuit against the university and the NCAA, claiming that allowing trans women to compete violates their rights under Title IX. But legal experts say the real threat to Title IX isn’t trans athletes—it’s the administration weaponizing the law to erase protections for LGBTQ+ students altogether.
Trump’s war on trans people isn’t just about sports—it’s about erasing trans people from public life. And if trans athletes are the latest target, the rest of the community knows they could be next.