President Donald Trump's administration has stepped up the crackdown on the inclusion of transathletes in women's sports, and many women affected by the issue have spoken out with support.
After the administration suspended federal funding at the University of Pennsylvania by including transgender athletes in women's sports, Fox Business reported only on Wednesday, many women who had to compete with former transgender Swimmeria Thomas spoke to celebrate their fundraising poses.
Three of Thomas' former Upenn teammates, Grace Estabrook, Margot Kakorowski and Ellen Holmquist, provided a joint statement to Fox News Digital via the Independent Council for Independent Women's Sports (Icons) that praises the actions of the Trump Administration.
“We are beginning to realize that there is a cost to openly hurt female students on campus, and we hope that the pressure will increase. Other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policies and their own unfair leadership, are violating federal law and hurting women,” the statement said.
“They stole opportunities and awards from deliberately stolen women, putting women in physical danger and promoting sexual harassment among female student athletes. All women on university campuses and under NCAA regulations should ensure Title IX protection.
In a statement from Fox News Digital, a university spokesperson said Upenn has not received an “official notice” of funding suspension, adding that the university is “full compliance” to its NCAA and Ivy League policies.
“We are aware of media reports suggesting a $175 million suspension of federal funds to Penn, but we have not yet received official notices or details. However, it is important to note that Penn always follows the NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation in athletic teams, institutions.”
Estabrook, Kaczorowski and Holmquist are currently engaged in litigation against Upenn, Ivy League and the NCAA, citing their experience with Thomas and handling of agency situations.
The lawsuit also aims to revoke all of Thomas' praise in the women's category.
The woman argues that by allowing Thomas to compete, the agency “injured them and violated federal law.”
A biological male, Thomas previously competed for the UPENN men's swimming team under the name Wil Thomas from 2017-20.
At the 2022 Ivy League Swimming Championships, Thomas was the first to take part in a 500, 200 and 100-yard freestyle race, setting a pool and Ivy League record, and ultimately was the best scoring swimmer in the entire tournament.
According to the lawsuit, Thomas was introduced to a female swimmer by female swimming head coach Mike Schnoor during a team meeting in fall 2019. Schnour reportedly told the female swimmer that Thomas would not share the locker room when he asked after the initial introduction.
It is said that it changed later.
Thomas officially began practicing and competing with female swimmers in the fall of 2021. That was when a female swimmer said that Schnoor's claim that Thomas would not share the locker room was untrue.
“When Upenn female swimmers returned to school in the fall of 2021, they were shocked that Thomas was allowed to use Upenn's women's locker rooms and was allowed to use women's locker rooms at swimming competitions,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Margot [Kaczorowski] I only learned that Thomas was allowed by UPenn to use women's locker rooms [Kaczorowski] Walking through the women's locker room, we spotted Thomas before he changed clothes. ”
The plaintiffs allege that university administrators forced trunk ideology onto them through the process of accepting Thomas in the team and locker room.
The former swimmer says their concerns about being a teammate with Thomas have been led to feel that they are rooted in “psychological issues.”
“The UPENN administrator told women that if women struggle to accept Thomas' participation in UPENN's women's team, they should seek counseling and support from the CAPS and the LBGTQ Centre,” the lawsuit alleges.
“The administrator also invited women to a lecture entitled “Trans 101.” Therefore, the woman understood that Upenn's position was that if the woman on the team had problems with the woman in her team, the woman had psychological problems and needed counseling. ”
The Ministry of Education has launched an official investigation into a potential Title IX violation that occurred at UPenn in February, Fox News Digital reported earlier.
The results of that investigation are now realised.
