Content warning: This article contains instances of misgendering that can be disturbing and/or triggering for some readers.
Multiple former Penn swimmers have spoken out in support of 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to freeze $175 million of the University’s federal funding — a decision attributed to Penn allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
The decision was announced on March 19, and the funding pause followed Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order that threatened to remove federal funding from universities that allow transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports.
During the 2021-22 swimming season, 2022 College graduate Lia Thomas competed on the Penn women’s swimming and diving team. Thomas, a transgender woman, collected numerous accolades that season — including three Ivy League titles and a national championship. There are currently no out transgender athletes at Penn.
2022 Engineering graduate and former Penn swimmer Paula Scanlan praised the funding cut, telling Fox News that it is “a good thing, it's a good message to send.” She added that she received a donation request from the University hours after the funding pause was announced.
In her media appearances, Scanlan continuously referred to Thomas as a man.
“I'm not interested in donating any money [to Penn],” Scanlan told Fox News. “I don't think I would ever even consider that until I am given an apology about being forced to undress in front of a man in the locker room three times a week.”
She also went on to describe how she would like to see universities, including Penn, cut departments that have “completely useless degrees” before she donates any money.
In an interview on Sunday night with Kansas radio host John Whitmer, Scanlan reacted to the University's response to the funding cut, highlighting how Penn was “propping up Thomas” that season.
"[Penn was] highlighting his accomplishments, and on top of all of that, they nominated him for NCAA Woman of the Year. These universities stood by this. They were not just 'oh we were following the rules in the NCAA.' They loved this."
A Penn spokesperson wrote in a statement to the DP on March 19 that Penn has “always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies” and does not have its own policy “regarding student participation on athletic teams.” It also highlighted that “NCAA policies have evolved over the years” and pointed to policy revisions made by the NCAA and Ivy League in response to Trump’s February executive order.
Since graduating, Scanlan has built a platform advocating against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports after her experience as Thomas’ teammate.
In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, 2022 College graduate Grace Estabrook expressed gratitude for the Trump administration’s actions and emphasized the need for “institutions to be held fully accountable.”
Estabrook is one of three former Penn swimmers who competed with Thomas at Penn and, on Feb. 4, filed a lawsuit against Penn, Harvard, the Ivy League, and the NCAA alleging that the defendants violated Title IX by permitting Thomas to compete in the 2022 Ivy League Championships.
“This means clear policy changes, the prior records, awards, and recognitions to go back to the women who deserve them, and the institutions who facilitated sexual harassment and our suffering to be fully aware of the wrongs that they have done and the pain they have caused,” she wrote.
The three swimmers — Estabrook, 2024 College graduate Margot Kaczorowski, and 2024 College graduate Ellen Holmquist — released a joint statement via the Independent Council for Women’s Sports, emphasizing that higher education institutions — including Penn — and the NCAA have been put on notice.
“Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women,” the three swimmers wrote. “They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes.”
Individual requests for comment were left with Kaczorowski and Holmquist.
On Feb. 6, the U.S. Department of Education started an investigation into Penn for Title IX violations for permitting Thomas to compete for the women's team. The same day, Penn Athletics removed its diversity, equity, and inclusion page from its website — including its policy on the inclusion of transgender student-athletes.
“We are reviewing these websites and programs to ensure they are consistent with our nondiscrimination policies and federal law,” a University spokesperson previously wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
