President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up its crackdown on trans athlete inclusion in women’s sports, and many women impacted by the issue are speaking out in support. After the administration paused $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, which FOX Business exclusively reported Wednesday, many of the women who had to compete alongside former transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas have spoken out in celebration of the funding pause. Three of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates, Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, provided a joint statement to Fox News Digital via the Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS) praising the Trump administration’s action. “We are so glad that Universities are beginning to see that there is a cost to openly harming female students on their campuses and we hope the pressure only increases. Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women,” the statement read. “They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes. Every woman on a college campus and under NCAA regulations should be assured of Title IX protections. Institutions that disregard the well-being of women have to understand they don’t get to rewrite or ignore federal protections that women rely on.”RILEY GAINES WANTS TO SEND A ‘THANK-YOU NOTE’ TO LIA THOMAS – HERE’S WHYIn a statement to Fox News Digital, a university spokesperson said UPenn has not received any “official notification” of the funding pause, and added that the university was and is in “full compliance” with NCAA and Ivy League policies. “We are aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn, but have not yet received any official notification or any details. It is important to note, however, that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams. We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply to not only Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.”Estabrook, Kaczorowski and Holmquist are all currently engaged in a lawsuit against UPenn, the Ivy League and the NCAA, citing their experience with Thomas and the institutions’ handling of the situation. The suit also seeks to have all of Thomas’ accolades in the women’s category rescinded. HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTUREThe women claim that by allowing Thomas to compete, the institutions “injured them and violated federal law.” Thomas, a biological male, previously competed for the UPenn men’s swimming team from 2017-20 under the name Will Thomas. At the 2022 Ivy League Swimming Championships, Thomas came in
Lia Thomas’s ex-teammates share their thoughts on the University of Pennsylvania’s suspension of federal funding, coinciding with Trump’s promise to uphold Title IX regulations.
