(The Lion) — Maine is violating the civil rights of girls when it allows biological males to compete in girls’ divisions of sports.
That is according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, which announced Monday that a Maine public high school and the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) are violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The Department of Education began investigating Maine last month after a male transgender-identifying athlete named Katie Spencer won two Class B state championships: one in pole vault and the other a team state championship for Greely Highschool in Cumberland, Maine.
“The Maine Department of Education may not shirk its obligations under Federal law by ceding control of its extracurricular activities, programs, and services to the Maine Principals’ Association,” Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, said in a press release. “We hope the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School will work with us to come to an agreement that restores fairness in women’s sports.”
The OCR said the three entities have 10 days to correct the problem or it will refer the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice for disciplinary action.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January directing the federal government to withhold education funding from states and schools that allow males to compete in women’s sports.
Since then, the Trump administration has launched investigations into some states that have not complied with the EO, including California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Washington.
However, the Maine investigation is the first one it has completed.
State Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, brought attention to the Maine case by posting pictures of Spencer on social media last month. Her post got over 100,000 reactions and caused the Democrat-controlled Maine House of Representatives to censure her. She has since sued to regain her speaking and voting privileges in the House.
Gov. Janet Mills, who disagrees with Trump’s executive order, told the president at a White House event, “see you in court,” when Trump promised his administration would revoke funding from the state due to its violations.
Spencer isn’t the only transgender athlete to win a girls’ track state championship in the Pine Tree State. Maine Coast Waldorf (Freeport, Maine) junior Soren Stark-Chessa won the 800-meter event last spring.
If they compete, Spencer and Stark-Chessa could win state titles again this spring.
HHS urges the public to report suspected Title IX violations here.
