U.S. Government Sues State Of Maine Over Title IX Violations Related To Transgender Athletes
The United States federal government filed a civil lawsuit against the state of Maine for continuing to allow males to compete in women's sports, OutKick has learned. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes (biological males) from girls' and women's sports, but the Maine Department of Education has continued to flout the order.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice took action.
"This discrimination is not only unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating others," the complaint reads. "It erodes the integrity of girls’ sports, diminishes their competitive experience, and undermines the very purpose of Title IX: to provide equal access to educational benefits, including athletics."
The U.S. Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi (left), filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine, led by Gov. Janet Mills (right), and its Department of Education for refusing to comply with President Trump's EO on keeping males out of women's sports.
(Imagn Images)
The lawsuit "seeks a judgment granting declaratory, injunctive, and damages relief for Defendant’s violations of Title IX and the federal funding contracts it signed promising to comply with Title IX and its implementing regulations."
Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke to the media on Wednesday:
"The Department of Justice will not sit by when women are discriminated against in sports. This is about sports, this is also about these young women's personal safety," Bondi said. "We have exhausted every other remedy… we don't like standing up here and filing lawsuits."
"These boys are allowed to go into women's restrooms, they are allowed to go into the women's dressing rooms... we have no other choice; we are taking them to court," Bondi added.
Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast "Gaines for Girls" and one of the most influential pro-woman voices in the country, joined Bondi, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and others in Washington D.C.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights ruled that the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School are each in violation of Title IX. They gave them 10 days to rectify the situation or face potential legal consequences. The violation stemmed from a male winning a state title in Maine in girls' pole-vaulting earlier this year.
But the state remained defiant, saying that the "Maine Human Rights Act" – which prioritizes gender identity over biological reality – states that males who choose to identify as females can participate in girls' and women's sports.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a radical left-wing politician, has led the charge to fight the order on the basis that gender ideology is more important than safety and fairness for girls' and women. Mills even sparred with President Trump during an event, telling him, "We'll see you in court."
Looks like Mills will get her wish, as the federal government has filed a lawsuit against her state. It also appears that Trump will get his wish, as he fired back to Mills: "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."
We'll see if Mills and Maine decide to change their tune with their federal education funding on the line. While it shouldn't take a lawsuit for the state to see the absurdity of allowing males in women's sports, it appears that might be the only thing that works.