In a stunning and controversial move, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has officially stripped transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of all women’s swimming records and added what critics are calling an “insulting and unnecessary footnote” in the updated athletic records.

The decision comes amid growing national debates over transgender participation in women’s sports, but it’s the way UPenn handled it that has sparked fresh outrage.

Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national championship, had previously held multiple school and Ivy League records in women’s swimming.

As of this week, however, her name has been completely removed from UPenn’s official record books.

The university updated its women’s swimming achievements list, replacing Thomas’s times with those of the next-fastest cisgender female athletes.

But what’s drawing even more heat is the footnote attached to the record revisions.

Beneath the newly revised records page, UPenn added a line that reads: “Previous performances by athletes not eligible under current NCAA women’s category criteria have been removed.”

Critics say this vague but pointed footnote is a direct shot at Lia Thomas, delivered in a way that publicly disavows her achievements without explicitly naming her.

The reaction was swift—and divided. Advocates for women’s sports rights applauded UPenn’s move, saying it restores fairness to the record books.

But others, including LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and some former teammates, called the decision dehumanizing.

“To erase someone’s name from history like this, and then drop a footnote as a warning to others—it’s cold, it’s calculated, and frankly, it’s insulting,” one former Ivy League athlete told reporters.

Social media erupted with hashtags like #LiaThomas, #UPennErasure, and #TransRightsAreHumanRights, with critics accusing the university of bowing to political pressure while humiliating a former student-athlete.

The move follows the NCAA’s recent alignment with new guidelines from World Aquatics, which restrict transgender women from competing in elite women’s swimming unless they’ve transitioned before puberty. As of 2024, Lia Thomas is officially ineligible to compete under those criteria.

UPenn, facing pressure from alumni, donors, and legal considerations, chose to revise its internal records to “align with governing body standards,” according to a spokesperson.

As of now, Lia Thomas has not issued an official statement, but sources close to her say she’s “disappointed, but not surprised.”

Her supporters argue that her NCAA win still stands, and removing her from UPenn’s books doesn’t change the reality of what happened in the pool.