In a major victory for the Trump Administration, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) agreed to prohibit biological men who identify as women from competing in women’s sports, leading prominent athlete and activist to write, “Are pigs flying?” and thank President Trump for following through on the issue.
For background, in early July 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued a press release announcing that the University of Pennsylvania had settled in a Title IX investigation after Lia Thomas, a UPenn swimmer who previously competed as a male athlete, was placed on the Women’s Swimming and Diving Team.
Moreover, as a result of Thomas’s placement on the swim team, the Trump Administration announced in March 2025 that it was cutting $175 million in funding to the university, and the Department of Education’s investigation into the school later concluded that UPenn was violating students’ rights but allowing a biological male to compete on the swim team.
According to the Department of Education’s press release on the matter, UPenn agreed to “restore to female athletes all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions which were misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories,” and the agreement between the school and the Education Department prevents UPenn from allowing “males to compete in female athletic programs or occupy Penn Athletics female intimate facilities.”
In response to the settlement, activist Riley Gaines, who had tied for fifth place with Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships, celebrated online, saying, “UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman.” She added, “Are pigs flying? God bless @realDonaldTrump.”
In response to her post, Gaines received fierce backlash, along with ardent support from fellow conservatives. The Polling USA X account wrote, “Glad they apologized to all those women for letting you compete <3.” Another user chimed in, “And you can now say that you finished alone in 5th place.”
On the other hand, some comments were more supportive. Conservative commentator Matt Van Swol wrote, “@Riley_Gaines_ you and all the women who stood up to fight against those who were forcing this insanity on you…” He added, “The hardest thing on earth is standing up for what is right, when everyone around you says you’re wrong. God bless YOU, Riley.”
In addition, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon celebrated the decision as well, calling it “a great victory for women and girls” in the agency’s press release. She added, “Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes.”
Featured image credit: Riley Gaines via X