Maine sues five school districts banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports 

The Maine Human Rights Commission is taking five school districts to court over policies keeping biological males out of girls’ sports. 

The commission filed suit against MSAD 70 in Hodgdon, RSU 24 in Sullivan, RSU 73 in Livermore Falls, the Baileyville School Department and the Richmond School Department, claiming the districts created a “hostile educational environment for gender-nonconforming students.” 

The lawsuit argues rules separating bathrooms, locker rooms and athletics by biological sex cause harm to students who identify as transgender. Such students can’t be confident they will be free from discrimination when they join sports teams, it says. 

The commission argues the harm starts the moment a district adopts such a policy, saying the rules intimidate students and make them feel unsafe. 

Local boards began passing such policies earlier this year. In April, MSAD 70 voted to follow the Trump administration’s Title IX guidance instead of the Maine Department of Education’s position. That brought the district into conflict with the state, which is already facing pressure from the U.S. Department of Justice over its own Title IX stance. 

In September, Baileyville approved a policy separating all sports and facilities by sex. The rule says “no student of one sex shall be allowed to play on a team designated for students of the opposite sex.” The policy gives all students clear expectations and consistent rules, the district argues. 

RSU 73 adopted its policy in October stating schools in the district “recognize only two sexes: biological male and biological female.” Supporters said the language was meant to protect fairness in girls’ sports and to maintain privacy in school facilities. 

The lawsuit comes as Maine and the White House continue to clash over federal civil rights rules. The Trump administration has tried to withhold federal funding from Maine over the state’s refusal to adopt its Title IX interpretation. 

A male athlete who identifies as transgender, Katie Spencer, won two Class B girls state titles last winter, taking first place in pole vault and helping Greely High School earn the team championship. Another transgender-identifying male athlete, Soren Stark-Chessa of Maine Coast Waldorf, won the girls’ 800-meter race in the spring 2024 season. 

Over 30 states now have laws or policies restricting male transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. 

An NBC News poll released in April found 75% of Americans oppose male transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports, while just 25% support it.