The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state of Maine for allowing transgender student athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports, marking the most aggressive action yet in President Donald Trump’s push to enforce a federal ban on such participation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the suit at a Justice Department press conference, standing alongside Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and vocal critic of transgender inclusion in women’s athletics. Bondi accused Maine of violating Title IX—the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education by “failing to protect women in women’s sports.”
“By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality,” the lawsuit claims, “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 lawsuit specifically cites two transgender athletes who have recently excelled in high school competitions, one in cross-country and another in pole vaulting. But according to the Maine Principals’ Association, only two transgender girls are currently participating in girls’ high school sports in the entire state.
That didn’t stop Bondi from declaring, “I don’t care if it’s one. I don’t care if it’s two. I don’t care if it’s 100. This is about protecting women.”
Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, pushed back swiftly, defending the state’s position and vowing to fight the lawsuit in court.
“This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed,” Mills said in a statement. “It is about states’ rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will.”
The confrontation has been building since February, when Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to withhold funding from schools that allow transgender girls to compete in female sports categories. Shortly after, the MPA reaffirmed it would continue to follow Maine’s Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
Since then, the Trump administration has attempted to withhold federal funding to Maine’s public schools and school nutrition programs, moves that were met with legal challenges and temporary injunctions by federal judges.
LGBTQ advocacy groups have condemned the administration’s actions as politically motivated and harmful to already marginalized youth. In a statement Wednesday, GLAAD said, “This does nothing to improve education or offer girls opportunities in sports. Every student and school is safer when the most vulnerable students are protected and respected.”
Critics argue that the administration’s lawsuit is less about protecting fairness in sports and more about restricting the rights of transgender youth for political gain.
“Banning trans kids from sports doesn’t protect girls; it isolates young people who are just trying to find belonging and joy through competition,” said a Maine-based parent of a transgender student athlete, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. “We’ve worked so hard to make our schools inclusive. This feels like the government is trying to erase our kids.”
Meanwhile, polling indicates that the country remains divided on the issue. While many Americans express concerns about fairness in competitive sports, others support inclusive policies that allow transgender youth to participate in a way that aligns with their identity.
As the legal fight unfolds, Maine is preparing for a broader battle, not just over athletics, but over the federal government’s ability to override state-level civil rights protections.
“Let today serve as warning to all states,” said Mills. “Maine might be the first to draw this kind of fire from Washington, but we will not be the last.”
For now, transgender athletes in Maine continue to compete, supported by state law, even as their rights become the latest political battleground in a deeply divided nation.
