The University of Pennsylvania just agreed to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports. This decision, made to appease a federal civil rights case and political pressure, sends a chilling message: trans athletes don’t belong.

This is not about fairness, this is erasure. It's discrimination, plain and simple.

Lia Thomas is a trailblazer who competed with grace, dignity, and pride. Stripping her of recognition and banning others like her is cruel and dangerous. It reinforces a hateful, narrow definition of womanhood that harms all of us.

By caving to federal pressure and adopting “biology-based” policies, UPenn is turning its back on its trans students and signaling that they are less worthy, less human.

We will not stand by while trans rights are rolled back under the guise of fairness. We demand that UPenn reverse this decision and affirm the rights and dignity of all student athletes—regardless of gender identity.

Trans women are women. Trans athletes belong in sports. And this injustice must not stand.

Sign now to support inclusion, equality, and dignity for all.

Photo: Brett Davis/USA Today/Reuters