Trans Day of Visibility will be celebrated on March 31 in many different ways. The Trump administration’s recognition of TDOV was shocking. They confirmed leading up to the March 31 event by saying it will pause $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania due to its policies supporting trans student-athletes.
The White House rapid response account on X shared a Fox Business video announcing the move, calling it “Promises made, promises kept.” The funding freeze stems from a Title IX investigation regarding Penn’s support of trans swimmer Lia Thomas, who faced national backlash in 2022. A Penn spokesperson told Newsweek that the school has
“always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams.”
They added that the university has not received official notification about the funding cut. This move comes as the NCAA, under pressure from Trump’s executive orders, voted in February to ban all trans women from women’s college sports. However, this crackdown extends beyond sports. Officials have been pressuring universities to eliminate DEI programs. A letter from interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin to Georgetown Law Center warned that schools promoting DEI could see students barred from federal job programs. Advocates call these actions an attack on inclusion, while the Trump administration frames them as fulfilling campaign promises
