"Lia" Thomas stripped of his medals, university apologizes to female swimmers
“A great victory for women and girls.”
The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to strip Lia (Will) Thomas of his swimming medals after a U.S. Department of Education investigation found the school violated Title IX policies.
You’re likely familiar with Thomas due to the fact that he’s become a poster child of sorts – and not in a good way – for why biological men leave their female competitors at a disadvantage. Thomas catapulted into national fame after winning a national (women’s) championship win in 2022.
The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights found that by letting Thomas compete in women’s events, UPenn was unfairly impacting female athletes. In a resolution agreement, UPenn committed to restoring all Division I swimming records, titles, and similar recognitions to female athletes who were affected by this policy. They also agreed to issue formal apologies to those who were disenfranchised by letting Thomas compete as a woman.
What’s more, the university has committed to ensuring that women’s athletic facilities are strictly for women and in compliance with Title IX going forward, including separate bathrooms and locker rooms for women. (You may recall that some of Thomas’ teammates complained about being forced to change in front of their “fully intact” teammate).
This comes as the nation’s institutions are adjusting to President Trump’s policies ensuring fairness for women in competitive sports. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon praised the agreement as “a great victory for women and girls.”
Friends, I want you to understand that this policy change is taking place because of Americans who refused to roll over and play dead when they tried to redefine what a woman is.
As long as Elizabeth Johnston Ministries has existed, we’ve been committed to empowering regular, everyday men and women to remain bold in their faith and convictions and stand firm against ideological tyranny.
So much has changed in just a few short years — imagine what else we can accomplish together!
This is great news.