Penn, SJSU draw inquiries amid Trump ban on trans athletes - ESPN

The Trump administration is investigating potential civil rights violations at two universities and a high school sports league that allowed transgender athletes to compete on women's teams, the Education Department said Thursday.

The agency is opening reviews at San Jose State, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The reviews come a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. The order calls for penalties against schools and leagues, saying competing against transgender athletes deprives female students of equality.

The Education Department said it opened the cases over suspected violations of Title IX, the 1972 law barring sex discrimination in education. Opening an inquiry isn't meant to indicate a finding of wrongdoing, according to department policy. Additionally, the agency said it is reviewing athletics policies at a number of other schools.

San Jose State is being investigated over a player's participation on the women's volleyball team. A lawsuit filed by players against the Mountain West Conference argued that letting her compete poses a safety risk, but San Jose State has not confirmed it has a transgender woman on the volleyball team.

The investigation at Penn focuses on Lia Thomas, who swam on the women's team and was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in 2022. Thomas graduated that year.

According to the Education Department, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association allowed a transgender athlete to compete on a girls' high school basketball team, prompting an opposing team to forfeit after three players were