The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine over its refusal to ban transgender women and girls from participating in female sports. The legal action escalates a growing clash between President Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills, who has pushed back against federal attempts to withhold education funding over the issue.
The lawsuit is grounded in Trump’s February executive order mandating that Title IX — the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education — be interpreted to exclude transgender females from women’s sports. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated the move was about ensuring fairness and safety for female athletes and hinted at retroactively withdrawing federal funding from Maine’s education system for noncompliance.
Governor Mills accused the Trump administration of overreach and politicization, saying the dispute has never truly been about protecting women’s sports. She claimed the federal government has targeted the state with punitive actions, including attempting to cut funding for school lunches and launching politically motivated investigations.
Currently, only two transgender athletes are known to compete in Maine’s school sports. The case is part of a broader campaign by Trump to reverse transgender-inclusive policies enacted under the Biden administration. The NCAA has already followed suit, banning transgender women from competing in female categories.
