- The Trump administration gave the state of Maine 10 days to rescind its policy allowing transgender athletes in girls’ high school sports. It cited violations of federal anti-discrimination law, following a compliance review.
- President Donald Trump signed an executive order to exclude transgender girls and women from female-only sports, directing the Department of Justice to enforce this under Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.
- After a confrontation between Gov. Janet Mills and Trump, Maine became a central focus for the debate.
Full Story
Maine became a focal point on the issue of transgender athletes after a student who transitioned from male to female won the state championship in pole vaulting in the girls’ division in February. Now, the Trump administration gave the state 10 days to rescind its policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls high school sports as part of a proposed resolution agreement after it found the state violated federal anti-discrimination law.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 to exclude transgender girls and women from female-only sports. It’s a directive supporters say will restore fairness, while critics say it infringes on the rights of a small fraction of athletes.
The order directs the Department of Justice to make sure all government agencies enforce a ban under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education.
What’s in the agreement?
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it gave the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association and Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, the 10-day deadline to take care of the alleged violation, or it would pass the issue on to the Department of Justice.
Trump versus Mills
The order came after the start of a compliance review last month following a confrontation between Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Trump at the White House, where Mills told Trump, “I’ll see you in court.”
The conflict put Maine into the national spotlight and recharged a debate over gender and sports, sparking protests in the state from both sides.
During the week of March 10, the Trump administration reversed its decision to freeze U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to the University of Maine System (UMS) after Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, intervened.
The funding had been paused earlier in the week while an investigation was conducted to determine whether UMS violated federal civil rights law by allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports.
In 2021, Maine legislators updated a state law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
