The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a suit against the state of Maine on Tuesday. Why? Maine didn’t comply with Trump’s directive and refused to ban transgender girls from playing for school girls’ sports teams. The lawsuit was announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi at a news conference on Wednesday.
“We have exhausted every other remedy,” Bondi said. “We tried to get Maine to comply. We don’t like standing up here and filing lawsuits, we want to get states to comply with us.”
The lawsuit stated that Maine is violating a federal law called Title IX. It protects students from discrimination on the basis of sex at schools that get federal funding. The DOJ claims that allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports provides them with an unfair advantage.
“The undeniable physiological differences between males and females provide boys with inherent advantages in strength, speed, and physicality that pre-determine the outcome of athletic contests,” the lawsuit states.
It also claims that girls are losing out on important opportunities to win medals and qualify for higher-level competitions.
STATE PUSHES BACK DESPITE PRESSURE AND LOSS OF FEDERAL FUNDS
This is not the first confrontation between Maine and the Trump administration. Previously, Trump threatened to reduce federal funding for states that refused to adhere to his policy known as “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
The DOJ wrote to Maine and other states like California and Minnesota, stating that they would not let states defy federal law.
Pam Bondi said, “The Justice Department will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law.”
The pressure on Maine has been growing. Earlier this month, the US Department of Education stated that Maine’s education department violated Title IX regulations by allowing transgender girls to play on girls’ teams.
The DOJ withdrew over $1.5 million in grants awarded to Maine’s Department of Corrections. This came when a transgender woman was sent to a women’s correctional centre.
But Maine held its ground. Democrat Governor Janet Mills replied to the mounting legal challenges by saying, “See you in court.”
Maine received a temporary court order last week to unfreeze the USDA funds intended for Maine’s Children’s Nutrition program.
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