Trump Administration To Refer Maine To Justice Department Over Transgender Participation In Sports

The deadline has arrived for Maine officials to reach a resolution with the U.S. Education Department over a finding that the state violated antidiscrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls' sports.

The Education Department said in March that an investigation concluded the Maine Department of Education violated the federal Title IX law by allowing transgender girls to participate on girls' teams. The investigation followed a public disagreement between Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and President Donald Trump at a February meeting of governors.

The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights issued a final warning on March 31 telling the state it needed to comply with the law in 10 business days or face enforcement from the U.S. Justice Department. That deadline arrived Friday.

Maine education officials have declined to comment on the investigation. Trump has said the state risks losing federal funding if it does not come into compliance.

"The Maine Department of Education's indifference to its past, current, and future female athletes is astonishing. By refusing to comply with Title IX, MDOE allows - indeed, encourages - male competitors to threaten the safety of female athletes, wrongfully obtain girls' hard-earned accolades, and deny females equal opportunity in educational activities to which they are guaranteed under Title IX," said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights.