Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that it has agreed to ban transgender women from its women's sports teams to resolve a federal civil rights case brought by the US Department of Education.

According to Philippines News Agency, the agreement is part of the broader effort of the Trump administration to remove transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. The decision followed the education department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) determination that the university violated federal law by allowing a transgender athlete to join the women's swim team and access female-only facilities.

The investigation for Title IX violations was linked to the inclusion of Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, on the university's women's team. Paula Scanlan, one of Thomas' former teammates, testified before Congress that she and her teammates were 'offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male.'

Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated, "Thanks to the leadership of President (Donald) Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women's sports are protected." She further commented, "Today is a great victory for women and girls not only at the University of Pennsylvania, but all across our nation."