NWLC condemns OCR ruling on Maine Title IX investigation

Washington, DC (March 19) – The Trump administration once again is wasting government money to pursue its agenda of trying to erase transgender people from public life. 

Following news today that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found Maine’s Department of Education in violation of Title IX because of the state’s inclusion of trans students in school sports, Shiwali Patel, senior director for safe and inclusive schools at the National Women’s Law Center, issued the following statement:

“This finding against the Maine Department of Education weaponizes civil rights laws and reiterates the harmful, transphobic narrative peddled by the Trump administration. Instead of addressing actual issues harming women and girls in sports — like the fact that high school girls have a million fewer opportunities to play than high school boys, or that college women athletes are shortchanged millions of dollars in athletic scholarships compared to men — the administration is wasting federal resources to violate the law and bully trans kids. We encourage leaders to stand by all women and girls – including those who are trans and intersex — and advocate alongside us against these dangerous and unlawful actions.”