US DOJ sues Maine education department over policies inclusive of transgender athletes – JURIST
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) sued the Maine Department of Education (DOE) on Wednesday over its policies that allow transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports.
The lawsuit alleges Maine’s policies violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which protects citizens under any education program or activity receiving federal funding from being discriminated against on the basis of sex.
“By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine’s policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm,” the complaint filed by the DOJ reads.
The lawsuit requests a permanent injunction, requesting the court order Maine’s DOE to disallow transgender women from participating in women’s sports, to implement a monitoring and enforcement system to ensure the state’s compliance with Title IX requirements, and to compensate female athletes “who have been denied equal athletic opportunities” due to Maine’s policies that are inclusive of transgender athletes.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit Wednesday that the DOJ is eyeing Minnesota and California for similar policies that are inclusive of transgender women participating in women’s sports.
Maine’s Governor, Janet Milles, issued a statement Wednesday saying the lawsuit was “expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law.
“This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states’ rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law,” Mills said.
This comes nearly a week after the US Department of Education announced it would terminate Maine DOE’s federal K-12 education funding if it refused to comply with US President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting “gender ideology” and gender-affirming educational practices.
