The University of Pennsylvania has reached an agreement with the Trump administration regarding the inclusion of trans athlete Lia Thomas in women’s sports. This resolution included an apology to affected female swimmers. However, the university continues to face a lawsuit from former women’s swimmers who claim their rights were violated under Title IX.
The lawsuit, filed by former UPenn swimmers Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski, and Ellen Holmquist, alleges that university officials led them to feel their concerns over being teammates with Thomas were rooted in a ‘psychological problem.’ The suit claims that by allowing Thomas to compete, the institutions ‘injured them and violated federal law.’
The activist group funding the lawsuit, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), released a statement addressing UPenn’s resolution, highlighting the ongoing legal battle. The group argued that the university’s approach in the case sends a clear message to other educational institutions about the importance of denying women equal opportunities and the right to privacy.
Meanwhile, former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan, who is not part of the lawsuit but was one of the first teammates to speak out against the situation, shared the email she received from the university apologizing. ICONS also added that Tuesday’s announcement should serve as a warning to other institutions, emphasizing the need for accountability and legal precedents to prevent similar violations in the future.
Thomas, a biological male, previously competed for the UPenn men’s swimming team from 2017-20 under the name Will Thomas. According to the lawsuit, Thomas was introduced by women’s swimming head coach Mike Schnur to the women’s swimmers during a team meeting in Fall 2019 as their incoming teammate. Each of the three plaintiffs claims the experience left them ‘repeatedly emotionally traumatized.’
The lawsuit further alleges that the university administrators pushed pro-trans ideology onto the women and told them that if they had any problem with Thomas’ participation, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LGBTQ center. The administrators also invited the women to a talk titled ‘Trans 101,’ leading them to understand that their concerns were seen as psychological problems.
The plaintiffs also allege that the administrators warned them against speaking out publicly, suggesting that doing so would taint their reputations and affect their job prospects. The three female swimmers claim they were made to believe they would be removed from the team if they tried to protest Thomas’ participation ahead of the 2022 Ivy League championships.
The lawsuit further states that coaches and UPenn administrators told the women’s swimmers not to talk about Thomas’ situation. Schnur allegedly told the women’s swimmers that Thomas wouldn’t be sharing a locker room with them when they asked after the initial introduction. However, this claim allegedly changed later when Thomas officially joined the team and began practicing and competing with the women in Fall 2021.
The female swimmers say they were shocked to discover that Thomas would be allowed to use the women’s locker room at UPenn and at swim meets. Margot Kaczorowski, one of the plaintiffs, only learned that Thomas had been authorized to use the women’s locker room when she walked in the women’s locker room to find Thomas in front of her changing his clothing.
Kaczorowski confronted Schnur in tears about her shock of discovering Thomas would now share a locker room with her, and the coach responded by saying, ‘I know it’s wrong, but there’s nothing I can do.’ The lawsuit claims that Schnur told the women that he would be fired by UPenn if he did not allow Thomas to use the women’s locker room and compete on the women’s swim team.
In December 2021, another team meeting was held to discuss Thomas’ presence on the team and the media attention it garnered. The female swimmers allege they were told that Thomas would continue to be on their team and that ‘Lia swimming is a non-negotiable.’
UPenn addressed the resolution with Trump’s administration in a statement, emphasizing that the Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021–2022 swim season. The university maintained that it was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as interpreted at the time.
UPenn also reiterated its commitment to following Title IX and NCAA rules, noting that NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201, and the university would continue to adhere to these new rules. The university emphasized that it does not have its own policies regarding the participation of transgender athletes in intercollegiate sports, adhering instead to NCAA and Ivy League rules.