The Trump administration is investigating two Maine school districts over discrimination for allowing transgender athletes in girls’ sports.
The districts are RSU 19, which covers eight towns in Penobscot County, and Waterboro-based RSU 57 in York County.
A news release states that the districts “discriminate on the basis of sex by permitting students to participate in sports based on their ‘gender identity.”
The investigations are being initiated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. “Time and again, the Trump Administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey.
The investigations come as the Department of Justice is suing Maine over its transgender athlete policies. The lawsuit has been on hold since the last government shutdown in October, but it has an April 1 court date.
The Maine Human Rights Act bars discrimination based on gender identity, and allows transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
The Maine Human Rights Commission is suing six districts in the state over their decisions to align with the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IV, which bars transgender sports participation.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigation includes 16 school districts in nine other states as well as the two in Maine.
