Once ground zero for the issue of men infiltrating women’s sports, the University of Pennsylvania reached a stunning agreement with the Trump administration to adopt biology-based definitions of gender and apologize to female swimmers affected by trans athletes.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Education announced UPenn has agreed to comply with Title IX after an investigation was opened in February into violations that occurred in the university’s swim program as a result of trans athlete Lia Thomas competing for the women’s team in the 2021-2022 season after previously swimming for the men’s team.
On Thursday’s show, Megyn was joined by Stu Burguiere, host of BlazeTV’s Stu Does America, to discuss the massive victory for women’s rights and how President Donald has prioritized this issue in his second term.
The Agreement
Under the terms of the agreement reached earlier this week, UPenn must restore any swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions that were “misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories” to women. That means Thomas’ records – including a 2022 NCAA championship in the women’s 500-yard freestyle – will be erased.
Additionally, the university has to issue a statement stating it will comply with Title IX and will adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders on the subject.
That action seemed to be fulfilled on Tuesday when UPenn added a page to its website titled “Title IX Compliance in Athletics” stating it “will comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972… as interpreted by the Department of Education, in all of its athletics programs.” It also said Penn Athletics locker rooms and bathrooms will be “strictly separated on the basis of sex and comparably provided to each sex.”
The deal will force the school to send a personalized apology letter to every female swimmer impacted by the existing policy as well.
The Reaction
Riley Gaines, whose experience competing against Thomas led her to become one of the most prominent advocates for protecting women’s sports, told Fox News she felt “vindicated” by the news and called it a “fantastic day” for “sanity,” “common sense,” “women,” and “humanity.”
Paula Scanlan, who swam with Thomas at UPenn, told Link Lauren on MK Media’s Spot On with Link Lauren that the deal was “a huge win” but “only the first step.” While she said she no longer “values” UPenn and the Ivy League system, she knows the weight this agreement carries.
“Many people put the Ivy League institutions up on a pedestal. They think they are these amazing institutions,” she shared. “And I think there is a lot of value in the University of Pennsylvania being one of those schools making this decision because… other schools will say, ‘If an Ivy League institution has to do this, maybe they’re onto something’ and it’ll make them also change their ways.”
Promises Kept
Megyn said it is hard to overstate just how much the tides have turned on this issue. “I remember the days reporting on this show two studios ago about what was happening with Lia Thomas and what was happening at UPenn, and… look how far we have come because women did find their voices,” she explained. “Those women and many others got to President Trump… explained to him that a man cannot become a woman and that it’s not kind to pretend otherwise, and he came fully on board our team.”
Not only did he get on board, Megyn added, but he has actually done something about it. “Now he is fixing it, university by university, institution by institution,” she noted. “The University of Pennsylvania did not want to bend the knee, but he made them.”
As Megyn shared before the 2024 election, these issues were front and center in her decision to publicly endorse President Trump and this marks a massive win. “Every day is Christmas with President Trump in the Oval Office. This is exactly what I voted for,” she said. “It is exactly what I told my fellow Americans they would get if they would believe in Trump, even if they were skeptical. It is why I said he would be a protector of women and everyone and remember our forgotten boys too… He is fulfilling every campaign promise.”
Burguiere agreed. “It is not just what you voted for… It is a good chunk of why he is currently president of the United States… A lot of people who voted for Joe Biden previously crossed the line and decided to vote for him this time because of issues like this,” he explained. “They saw a dude standing on the podium ahead of other women and said, ‘This is crazy. We all know that this is wrong.'”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Burguiere by tuning in to episode 1,101 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.