Trump Admin Finds Maine In Violation Of Civil Rights Law For Allowing Men In Women’s Sports
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notified the state of Maine that it is violating Title IX civil rights law by persisting in allowing males in female sports.
The letter sent to the office of Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, as well as the state’s attorney general office, states that Maine violated the law by continuing to allow sex-based discrimination in school programs and activities that receive federal dollars.
“Maine Democrats continue to play chicken with hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding and the future of girls’ sports in Maine is at stake,” Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby told The Federalist. “Nearly 70% of Democrats agree that biological males should not be allowed to compete against girls. As a result of their refusal to follow the law, they were rightly slapped with a Notice of Violation by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. I am glad President Trump is taking decisive action to protect Maine girls, and hope we see Maine Democrats do the right thing for Maine girls and students alike.”
According to the letter, the Maine Department of Education “violates Title IX by denying female student athletes in the State of Maine an equal opportunity to participate in, and obtain the benefits of participation, ‘in any interscholastic, intercollegiate, club or intramural athletics’ offered by the state by allowing male athletes to compete against female athletes in current and future athletic events.”
The Title IX violation finding came after a male student who claimed to be female at Greely High School stole first place in the female pole vaulting championship.
The investigation started after Mills refused to comply with Trump administration guidance and executive orders directing institutions to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and stop allowing males to compete in female sports — or face the loss of federal funding. Despite having at least $250 million on the line, Mills decided to be obstinate at a governors’ meeting at the White House in late February, telling President Donald Trump that the state would pursue a legal challenge.
“Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And, enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics,” Trump told Mills at the time. “You better comply, because otherwise you’re not getting any … federal funding. … By the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports.”
Later that day (Feb. 21), the U.S. Department of Education launched its investigation into the Maine Department of Education, as well as the school district where the male stole the pole vaulting championship.
Two days later, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a compliance review at the University of Maine system over potential Title IX violations. The system has received received over $100 million in federal funding.
As The Federalist previously reported, Maine has other concerns that directly violate Trump administration executive orders, such as at least 57 school districts that actively hide critical medical information from parents about their children, including whether they start identifying as transgender at school.
UPDATE:
This story has been updated to note that the USDA review is over potential Title IX violations, and that the University of Maine system has received over $100 million over the last several years.
Breccan F. Thies is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. He previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
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