Former UPenn athletes sue school, Ivy League to vacate transgender swimmer Lia Thomas collegiate records
Three former University of Pennsylvania women’s swimmers alleged they suffered emotional trauma by having transgender swimmer Lia Thomas as a teammate as they called for the Ivy League to expunge Thomas’ records, according to a lawsuit.UPenn alum Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist filed the suit on Tuesday, a day before President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning biological men from competing in women’s sports.The three graduates allege their former school, Harvard University, the NCAA and the Ivy League Council of Presidents harassed, abused and violated federal laws when they allowed Thomas to compete on their team, according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News.“The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas’ participation on the UPenn Women’s team, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LBGTQ center,” the lawsuit alleges. Kaczorowski and Holmquist, who graduated in 2024, and Estabrook, a 2022 graduate, claimed they were “repeatedly emotionally traumatized” because Thomas was allowed to compete with them, a violation of Title IX.They claim school officials pushed their pro-trans ideology on the women throughout the time Thomas was on the team.Administrators allegedly invited the swimmers to a talk titled “Trans 101” where they believed if they had a problem with a “trans-identifying male” on their team, they had psychological problems and needed to see a counselor.The swimmers accused school officials of warning them against speaking out on Thomas or they’d be branded as a transphobe and risk not finding jobs in the future.The lawsuit also accuses the four defendants of creating a culture of intimidation that forced young women to deny biology.Thomas was not listed as a defendant in the filing.Adding Thomas as a member to the women’s jeopardized the swimmers’ opportunities, privacy, and safety, the suit claims.Thomas, who competed for...